Through a fine tongue in cheek attitude, director Shannon Michaelas explores what life is like as a little person, especially in the midst of the popularity of Peter Dinklage. It’s insane how much one actor has come to define an entire group of people, but lo and behold, “Peter Dinklage” explores how the popularity of the man has helped popularize little people for better and for worse.
Scottie is experiencing a change of life that has him rethinking where he’s going and even worse is the fact that his massive success has nothing to do with drive or ambition. It’s merely dumb luck. Director Chris Esper’s “Please Punish Me” is a funny and charming dramedy about a man looking for a direction in life who finds it in the unlikeliest of places.
It’s kind of sad that “Blood Wings” is about as good as the series ever got. Surely the first film is good just as it is, but “Blood Wings” is about the only good sequel the movie series ever received, and I’m surprised the studios never sought to deliver higher quality follow-ups. You could technically count this as the final film in the series, and one that doesn’t completely realize the concept or expand on the mythos of the pumpkinhead monster. “Blood Wings” garners a smaller scale and much less logical tale about a dad wreaking havoc on the killers of his child, and focuses more on a witch, more reckless teens, and really awful performances all around.
With the original’s star Lance Henrisksen gone, and his purpose fulfilled, there’s really nowhere to go with the pumpkinhead mythology, so the sequel just strings together a humdrum revenge tale. Or “Pumpkinhead Knows What You Did Last Summer.” The original “Pumpkinhead” may not have been a masterpiece by any definition, but it was assuredly a solid revenge film with a unique monster. Director Jeff Burr’s follow up is a sub-par mess that has no real grasp on what kind of tale it wants to tell, its main downfall being the abysmal performances by the entire cast.
Franck Khalfoun’s “P2” is such a fun over the top woman in peril horror movie that even the worst aspects of it compliment the experience. West Bentley as the villain chews every bit of scenery to the point where he even seems to be competing with the dog he co-stars with, and eventually the gorgeous Rachel Nichols is put in to a slinky white dress and remains in it for the duration of the movie. But you can’t help but enjoy “P2,” either way since it amounts to a fun albeit formula slasher thriller.
“Pumpkinhead” is one of the many horror movies from the eighties that is unparalleled. It’s a movie series that opens with a bang and continues on with many inferior sequels. Alas, “Pumpkinhead” remains a single entry horror revenge thriller, depending on how you prefer to look at the storyline. That said, “Pumpkinhead” is a fine and atmospheric yet flawed revenge thriller that features some pretty incredible special effects by the late great Stan Winston, who also directs. And how can you not like Lance Henriksen?
The biggest difference that sets John Badham’s remake apart from Luc Besson’s original “La Femme Nikita” is the context of the decade. Even set in the late eighties to early nineties, Besson’s original has a very timeless appeal to it and is still a template for many action films. John Badham’s remake though is very soaked in nineties ephemera, to the point where you can almost hear “90210” playing in the background of every scene. Thus it distracts from the story Badham is trying to tell. Which is a stacked deck, considering “Point of No Return” is a weak retread of an action masterpiece.