Tremors (1990).

Review #2286: Tremors (1990).

Cast: 

Kevin Bacon (Val McKee), Fred Ward (Earl Bassett), Finn Carter (Rhonda LeBeck), Michael Gross (Burt Gummer), Reba McEntire (Heather Gummer), Bobby Jacoby (Melvin Plug), Charlotte Stewart (Nancy Sterngood), Ariana Richards (Mindy Sterngood), Tony Genaro (Miguel), Richard Marcus (Nestor Cunningham), Víctor Wong (Walter Chang), and Bibi Besch (Megan Wallace) Directed by Ron Underwood (#808 - City Slickers and #1930 - The Adventures of Pluto Nash)

Review: 

I'm surprised that I hadn't encountered Tremors before, but then again you never know how many monster comedies will come your way in the horror season. The original idea for the film came from S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock, a writing duo that had first met when studying at the University of Southern California. After years of doing shorts, the two had their big break in writing and selling what became Short Circuit (1986), complete with a subsequent sequel in 1988. They wanted to break into producing alongside writing, and one idea that their agent Nancy Roberts liked involved inspiration from days spent hiking on a Navy base and wondering what would happen if there was something under a rock that meant they couldn't get off. They worked with Ron Underwood on outlining it in considerable detail before going through the trudge of trying to sell their script, which slowly but surely ended up with distribution by Universal Pictures. This was the debut feature film for Underwood (also a USC attendee), who had worked for several years in a variety of positions for films and TV, such as an adaptation of "The Mouse and the Motorcycle". The screenplay (as originally known as "Beneath Perfection") was originally finished in 1988 and the movie was shot over the course of nearly two months in 1989. The end result was a mild success (being released in January 1990 after all) with audiences that ended up spawning a certain kind of audience curiosity in six further Tremors films (1996, 2001, 2004, 2015, 2018, 2020), with Wilson and Maddock being involved in the first three sequels (complete with each directing a film); Michael Gross appeared in each one of the films, which had varying levels of success on home video. There also was a television series that briefly ran in 2003 that had involvement from Wilson and Maddock.

Well, you do get your monster worm with tentacles, with a mix of those effects being through puppets and wire (Tom Woodruff Jr and Alec Gillis were behind the creature design). People that had fun with say, Piranha (1978), will have a ball with this film for 96 minutes (well, they both involve shark-like monsters). This is mostly because it manages to generate plenty of warmth in its harkening back to some of the familiar beats of the old creature feature without having the aura of being beneath it. One doesn't have a weak link among the actors when it comes to commitment of timing to go with a quality creature look (referred to as "Graboids") to fulfill the basic needs one would like from a horror movie that likes to have a chuckle with its viewer. Bacon and Ward make for quite a fun pair to lead the way that one would almost assume they were playing brothers (interestingly enough, it took a while for Bacon to warm to the film beyond calling it one done for the money) with how they pair off each other in shades of the everyman. It probably works best that Carter just rolls along with only some of the cliches that come with science babble or in monster-peddling, mostly because the film elects to just let the monster origin just go by the wayside (the studio actually wanted an explanation for the monsters and even compelled the filmmakers to do a scene; the scene, involving earthquakes and a dead coyote, did not fare well in testing and was deleted). Gross and McEntire (a debut performance for the noted singer) makes for quite the pairing in offbeat enjoyment to round out the general curiosity. You don't get too many desert-bound horror movies, but this one makes the best of it in maintaining curiosity for its apparent threat and why we grow to care about what happens around this small town, regardless of how the body count goes. Cheesy with pride and clearly committed, Tremors is a delight for all who enter its range of curiosity.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

MaXXXine.

Review #2227: MaXXXine.

Cast: 

Mia Goth (Maxine Minx), Elizabeth Debicki (Elizabeth Bender), Moses Sumney (Leon), Michelle Monaghan (Det. Williams), Bobby Cannavale (Det. Torres), Halsey (Tabby Martin), Lily Collins (Molly Bennett), Giancarlo Esposito (Teddy Knight, Esq.), Kevin Bacon (John Labat), and Simon Prast (Ernest Miller) Written and Directed by Ti West (#1893 - Pearl and #2133 - X)

Review: 

"My goal is to put you in the era and to put you in the aesthetics of that, so that way it feels end-to-end created."

X (2022) was a neat time for those who like films with a touch of familiar sleaze to go with their horror movies, one that was a "ballad of sex and violence". Pearl (2022) was, well, delightful in its bloody charm that I seem to mention either too much or not enough in charming horror features that included a teaser for "MaXXXine". As with the last two, West serves as both editor, co-producer and director/writer. The film (if you didn't already know) is set in 1985 around the time of The Night Stalker murders, who had a spree of murders and offenses in the state of Calfornia prior to his capture on August 31, 1985. Evidently, MaXXXine may not be the capstone of an "X trilogy" but instead just the third wheel of a well-oiled pastiche machine, which actually seems to be a compliment when it comes to worthwhile slasher fun that looks around at just how people get influenced by cinema (such as perhaps the kind of folks that can recite Hollywood Boulevard [1976] or The Day of the Locust [1975] when thinking about slime in the belly of the filmmaking beast). Or at least a film in the journey of self-actualization with an ending that happens to be a bit different than expected.

Sure, it is a glossy pastiche that is a notch below the last two films. But the enjoyment of the film for me makes it pretty easy because it seems pretty evident that when it comes to genres of film, horror is the easiest to spotlight and defend at the same time. B-movies and slasher films, when entertaining, still manage to get crap from people who either think horror is supposed to be "dignified" or wouldn't know entertainment if it bit them in the ass. People like to get spooked just as much as they like to absorb a film trying to play familiar dress up. This is a delightfully vapid and occasionally gruesome movie that I enjoyed most of the time that really does show just how cheap thrills really do provide worthwhile intervention when executed well enough. The driven nature of the main character was pretty unnerving in each of the previous two films, and while it may not be as prominent this time around, there are flashes of just how craven one really can be when driven to get the life they believe they deserve, even if it means stomping away (literally) at would-be saboteurs. Goth manages to maintain that strange sense of unnerving confidence that is alluring in all of its weird charm that straddles the craven line that comes in someone that really could be called an antihero in the best of ways. There are a few scenes that could stand as a highlight, but I think the one where she finds herself stuck in a chair with makeup all over spooks me the most (well, a stomping one might be spooky for others too, but staging terror is a matter of pride when it comes to horror). Being wrapped up in a murder mystery while others try to play A-values into a B-movie production makes for a few chuckles with Debicki or with Sumney (playing the other side of movie-connected folks, a man of the video store), but it is pretty evident that Bacon steals the show with such smarmy confidence befitting of his natural energy that comes out (accent and all). Monaghan and Cannavale provide familiar procedural chuckles that roll right in for my tastes because, well, familiarity always wins the day if it is committed. Eventually one sees where Esposito and Prast make for homely touches of where the film really will go within gruesome truths, particularly with the latter. The eventual reveal is probably not hard to see coming after a certain amount of time, but I appreciate the circular logic that comes in wanting to make a statement about the nature of Hollywood by making a film themselves. In the end, the intervention that arises for its climax (if you haven't seen it, it sounds like a dumb joke, but...) serves the film enough as a hodgepodge of gloss and blood for an engaging time that will surely make West's next idea a worthwhile one to look forward to.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Footloose.

Review #1690: Footloose.

Cast: 

Kevin Bacon (Ren McCormack), Lori Singer (Ariel Moore), Dianne Wiest (Vi Moore), John Lithgow (Rev. Shaw Moore), Chris Penn (Willard Hewitt), Sarah Jessica Parker (Rusty), John Laughlin (Woody), Elizabeth Gorcey (Wendy Jo), Frances Lee McCain (Ethel McCormack), Jim Youngs (Chuck Cranston), and Timothy Scott (Andy Beamis) Directed by Herbert Ross (#244 - The Sunshine Boys and #1455 - The Goodbye Girl)

Review: 

It it hard to say a movie is inevitable. And yet, this is one of the most obvious movies that one will ever glare at in their lives, not so much because it is memorably great or terrible, but because one just has the feeling that they will watch it at some point in time. This is a long and dull way of saying I knew I would have to do this movie because I once had to practice dancing to the title song of this movie for a sweet sixteen birthday party...nine years ago. Trust me, time has not withered the memory of having to hear that Kenny Loggins song over and over again, and I say this as someone who digs the singer, even for a movie that is inferior to other movies with Loggins doing the lead song (well, there is Caddyshack II, but pretend that doesn't exist). You may be interested to know that the film was written by Dean Pitchford, who had won an Academy Award for his song-writing with the title song to Fame (1980). He had been inspired by a news story he had heard in 1979 that involved Elmore City, Oklahoma, a town that had just eliminated a ban on dancing that lasted 80 years. He would ultimately co-write ten of the thirteen songs present in the soundtrack, which included singers such as Loggins, Bonnie Tyler, and Sammy Hager. Strangely, the first director in mind to direct this movie was Michael Cimino (fresh off the production fiasco of Heaven's Gate (1980), if you remember). No, seriously, he was hired in 1983 before filming was to start. This occurred due to stalled negotiations with Herbert Ross (a director familiar with dance since he had done choreography on films and Broadway before taking on directing in 1969), but the demands that Cimino would put on pre-production ended up in his dismissal. Specifically, he wanted $250,000 for the script to be re-written in order to make it darker (as quoted by a producer, who stated that they wanted to make entertainment, and it probably doesn't help to go over a budget when you have just $7.5 million to spend). I will admit that while The Deer Hunter (1978) wasn't exactly a great favorite of mine, I would certainly have been interested to see just what Cimino would have done with his type of polish involved instead of what we received instead.

So yeah, I guess this is a movie for the teens. At least I think so, if one wants to have a movie filled with a grab-bag of 80s songs like a music video (the jury's out on pairing Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero" with a game of chicken with tractors), or maybe it's supposed to be a teen drama, filled with oddballs that have to deal with the terrible task of no dancing or rock music in a small town with a gymnast for a lead character. Or maybe it is the classic teenage hokum movie (small town folks, let me know if you've ever seen a truck with deer antlers on it). Teenagers doing bits of gymnastics in a warehouse? Sure, go ahead, and add a secret place full of graffiti of forbidden words put there by kids that even includes a daredevil who likes pulling dumb stunts like standing on the train tracks with a train ahead (that opening stunt is a crock, because I actually thought that would be the impetus for the whole "dancing/rock music leads to debauchery and maybe death", just look at that car...nah, it just gets told to us later). By the time folks start to think about burning books, my eyes were already on their fifth cycle of rolling (how the focus goes from rejecting an offer to do a prom to books in the library are harming the children is up to you). At least the parents don't start to use the mountains in the background (filmed in Utah, where else?) for watchtowers. Technically speaking, there is an interesting drama that is just begging to play itself out (albeit one with maybe four or five actors present, not the handful here), but even Saturday Night Fever (1977) manages to dance circles around this movie, and the weirdest thing is that both movies have pretty good performances from the lead actor. Clearly the movie has made an interesting fit for some folks when it comes to its era and mood, but it just didn't click with me. I never really found much to care about in its attempts at balancing music and its plot, because it all reaches with the depth of a marshmallow, equating to a book report about why folks should be allowed to express themselves (in other words, Saturday Night Fever wasn't merely a disco movie, and Footloose isn't merely anything). Bacon (whose first prominent film role was with Diner two years prior alongside a handful of stage work) is the best presence in the movie, mostly because he handles everything with composed charisma. In a movie where he has to play the fish-out-of-water from Chicago that deals with odd yokels and friends with dance, he makes sure to play it on key, because he sells what needs to happen on his end with no trouble because of his energy. Singer fares less than great, probably because the whole daredevil attitude is probably the most interesting thing about her character, and we are talking about someone who gets to share time with Bacon and Lithgow, which means one gets to be overshadowed twice. Wiest has a few moments to share with Lithgow that compliments the adult perspective of trying to deal with a growing adolescent. Lithgow is the other side of the interesting coin, devout in his composure that acts like a parent of a community, which naturally has to shift in layers for 110 minutes (albeit not a complete 180), which works okay. Penn plays a sturdy folksy relief character (one who can't dance, but come on, that hasn't stopped dummies like me from trying) - he soon would become better known with comic / tough roles, and this is a moderately curious early role for him. This was the second film role for Parker (familiar with theater and television from a young age); those brief moments on screen are enough for a positive sentence, for what it is worth. As a whole, Footloose is cheese that has the kind of polish that can satisfy those who find its sweet spot to their liking, whether because of the music, the charm of its lead (or Lithgow), one that has a little bit of what counts in expressing oneself that might just prove enough in entertainment. I can't endorse it, but I also can't stop one from having the curiosity to seek what all the fuss is about.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Apollo 13.

Review #1509: Apollo 13.

Cast: 
Tom Hanks (Jim Lovell), Bill Paxton (Fred Haise), Kevin Bacon (Jack Swigert), Gary Sinise (Ken Mattingly), Ed Harris (Gene Kranz), Kathleen Quinlan (Marilyn Lovell), Mary Kate Schellhardt (Barbara Lovell), Emily Ann Lloyd (Susan Lovell), Miko Hughes (Jeffrey Lovell), Max Elliott Slade (Jay Lovell), Jean Speegle Howard (Blanch Lovell), Tracy Reiner (Mary Haise), David Andrews (Pete Conrad), Michele Little (Jane Conrad), and Chris Ellis (Deke Slayton) Directed by Ron Howard (#301 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas, #546 - Cinderella Man, #1085 - Willow, and #1095 - Solo: A Star Wars Story)

Review: 
"I've acted with all types, I've directed all types. What you want to understand as a director, is what actors have to offer. They'll get at it however they get at it. If you can understand that, you can get your work done."

When it comes to well-established directors in entertainment for over four decades, one key figure of versatility is Ron Howard. He was very familiar with show business from a young age, owing to his parents both being actors and his younger brother Clint also became a child actor (all three would appear in several of his films). Howard began acting from the age of five, and his first major role was in The Andy Griffith Show beginning in 1960, which ran for several years. Howard would credit the friendly environment of the production in allowing participation and curiosity over the role of the director's role in making the show what it was for getting him interested in becoming a director. Howard continued to act in his growing years in film and television (such as The Music Man, American Graffiti, and Happy Days) before venturing his way into making a film with the low-budget Grand Theft Auto (1977), which he starred in and co-wrote with his dad Rance. Since his breakthrough with Night Shift (1982), Howard has gone on to directing a variety of genres in a four-decade career, including comedy, adventure, and thrillers.

Howard became interested in doing the film when reading about the facts of the mission and realizing the interest sprang not so much in just making the audience experience space but also making a story of human triumph. The film first came into interest with the non-fiction account of the mission by its commander Jim Lovell that he co-wrote with Jeffrey Kluger in Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, published in 1994. William Broyles Jr and Al Reinert would be behind the screenplay (with un-credited rewrites from John Sayles). What a fascinating film we have here, both on how it treats its subject matter and as an experience in entertainment. Its depiction of the "successful failure" of the Apollo 13 is one that has endured for over two decades because of how Howard and his crew managed to cultivate meaningful drama and spectacle into 140 minutes with near-perfect precision for what makes exploration and resilience so interesting. We look upon the Apollo missions with wonder for how they did those missions from the Earth to space and beyond with the technology of the time while not forgetting that the Apollo missions rode and fell in popularity over the years that followed landing on the Moon, as if one could see travel away from home as just typical, but this particular mission showed the resilience of people under pressure on Earth and off it to maintain themselves with failure not being an option.

Hanks, an affirmed lover of the space program, is naturally perfect here, having a natural charm and spirit that we care to see in his pursuit of travel with curiosity and nuance. Paxton follows him with well-followed spirit and a vivid presence worth viewing in the ship in the struggles that came for the mission. Bacon finishes the main trio of shipmates with earnest interest, while Sinise stands firm on the ground with conviction through those moments used in spurts throughout. Harris reins in respect and determination with a well-rounded performance that exudes confidence and professionalism each time he is on screen within Mission Control. Quinlan certainly seems right in her instinct for what is needed, with the real Lovell praising her as being fairly authentic to her own thoughts and feelings of the time. The others fill in the seams with no problem in keeping the interest and docudrama on the level. The interest in looking at history told through the lens of a film is where the accuracies and inaccuracies blend in with each other. In this case, there are certain quibbles that come with making a drama (such as for example Mattingly being more of a composite for several astronauts and engineers with regards to solving the power consumption problem for re-entry or the neglection of Glynn Lunney and his team in those crucial first hours of doom), but nothing comes across as contrived or illogical to ruin what is a fairly accurate movie, particularly in its look (noted in several parts by crew members, such as the Mission Control set). Think about this: this is a film that did not utilize documentary footage, rather instead going for re-creation of the whole experience through effects and sets, which would include the KC-135 (a fixed-wing aircraft that is used to train astronauts for weightlessness), which they could only use for filming in zero gravity for very brief intervals (25 seconds at a time). On the whole, one can find themselves wholly invested into the proceedings without needing much familiarity with the Apollo missions, and even those who know it will still find plenty to take interest in without seeming inevitable. It wins most of its moments in sentiment and tension with a clear-cut cast and well-done technique to make a solid enough winner for the era that remains timeless then as now as a portrait of the people that stood up when failure was not an option.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Animal House.

Review #1114: Animal House.

Cast: 
John Belushi (John "Bluto" Blutarsky), Tim Matheson (Eric "Otter" Stratton), John Vernon (Dean Vernon Wormer), Peter Riegert (Donald "Boon" Schoenstein), Thomas Hulce (Lawrence "Pinto" Kroger), Stephen Furst (Kent "Flounder" Dorfman), Bruce McGill (Daniel Simpson "D-Day" Day), James Widdoes (Robert Hoover), Douglas Kenney (Stork), James Daughton (Gregory "Greg" Marmalard), Mark Metcalf (Douglas C. Neidermeyer), Kevin Bacon (Chip Diller), Verna Bloom (Marion Wormer), Donald Sutherland (Professor Dave Jennings), Karen Allen (Katy), Sarah Holcomb (Clorette DePasto), DeWayne Jessie (Otis Day), Mary Louise Weller (Mandy Pepperidge), Martha Smith (Barbara Sue "Babs" Jansen), and Cesare Danova (Mayor Carmine DePasto) Directed by John Landis (#328 - Trading Places, #410 - Coming to America, and #513 - Spies Like Us)

Review: 
Fellow readers, the following review has a bit of history involving the production intermixed with the normal parts you would see in a normal review - whether you read it or not is up to you, but I feel it is necessary to have it alongside the review (located in the second paragraph) for context. Thank you and enjoy. 

On July 28, 1978, Animal House premiered in theaters, the brain child of its three writers, Chris Miller, Douglas Kenney, and Harold Ramis. Each were involved in some capacity with National Lampoon prior to the creation of the film. Miller was one of the writing talents for the magazine, and it was his own experiences in the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity at Dartmouth College being an inspiration for the film. Kenney (a graduate of Harvard University) was one of the co-founders of the magazine (alongside Henry Beard and Robert Hoffman), with contributions including the satirical short story Bored of the Rings (alongside Beard) and being involved in editing capacity in the magazine from 1970 to 1976. Ramis had starred (along with Belushi) in the comedy radio show The National Lampoon Radio Hour. He utilized ideas from a treatment he had written (named "Freshman Year") that had been based off his experiences at Washington University in St. Louis. The director with the task of directing a project was John Landis, whose work on The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) helped get him the job for this movie. It was Landis that assisted with casting certain actors, wanting unknowns and character actors for the parts, such as originally wanting Jack Webb (of Dragnet fame) to play the Dean, although the rejection by Webb led to Vernon being approached for the role. The movie was shot in 32 days in Eugene, Oregon (the location for the University of Oregon) on a budget of just $2 million.

With all of the praise (or occasional criticism) and history one could read on this film, it's amusing to list all that for something that is an energetic and unapologetic piece of comedy that never relents on its assault of humor in its 109 minute run-time, most of all coming from Belushi, who manages to generate numerous laughs from his expressions that balance the fine line between noise and overbearing, reminding me in some way of silent film comedians. Incidentally, Landis told Belushi to play the character as a mix between Harpo Marx and the Cookie Monster. The result certainly seems to be a success, with some of his lines falling into memorability, such as the toga sequence for example or the scene near the climax. Matheson is also a fine highlight, showcasing a fair degree of charm to along with a share of amusement. Vernon proves entertaining at being the adversarial straight man to everything that goes on, playing to the rules that you would expect each time he is on screen. Riegert proves fairly refreshing, and his scenes with Allen (who along with Bacon was making their film debut) have their share of charm. Hulce and Furst don't have too much time, but they each make for a few laughs at times. Other members of the main amusement group such as McGill and Widdoes also prove effective with their time on screen. Daughton and Metcalf prove to effect contrasts with the other members. Other highlights include Sutherland and Bloom, who prove to be cool delights in their respective time on screen. It has an episodic nature to its narrative, but it is an interesting experience to go through in part because it never really lets go of just having fun with the gags and lines that it throws at the audience, including some fun music, with highlights being "Louie Louie" from Richard Berry and "Shout" by Otis Day and the Knights (which has its own scene for great effect). There are numerous highlights, and it would be a shame to spoil the fun for the viewer, but one particular favorite part of mine is the cafeteria sequence, ending in the messy way you might expect with help from Belushi. There is a pitch and execution to everything that goes on that makes this one of the most enjoyable comedies to watch to this very day.

The film was a huge success at the box office, making over $100 million while being one of the top ten grossing films of 1978 (alongside other films such as Superman). A year later, the major three networks all tried to make their own sitcoms inspired from the film, such as Delta House on ABC, which retained some of the cast such as Vernon and Furst. However, the raunchy humor (along with other things) did not make the transition to television, and fights with the network doomed the show after 13 episodes. The attempt by CBS (named Co-ed Fever) lasted one episode before cancellation. NBC's attempt with Brothers and Sisters also proved unsuccessful. You can see the influence the film has had with raunchy coming-of-age films, such as Porky's and American Pie - with varying quality. In any case, Animal House is a film best enjoyed through watchful eyes and ears for each semblance of unfettered amusement that still endures after four decades since its release.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Review #879: Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Cast:
Steve Martin (Neal Page), John Candy (Del Griffith), Laila Robins (Susan Page), Michael McKean (State Trooper), Kevin Bacon (Taxi Racer), Dylan Baker (Owen), Olivia Burnette (Marti Page), and Larry Hankin (Doobie) Directed by John Hughes (#046 - The Breakfast Club, #207 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off, #249 - Sixteen Candles, and #643 - Uncle Buck)

Review:
When it comes to great buddy films and great holiday films, this one will likely spring to mind. Martin and Candy are a great duo, in part because of how easy they seem to portray their roles, along with having some wonderful chemistry. But like other good comedies, there is also a good edge of drama as well, with a great sense of realness and charm within itself. Sure, there are good funny scenes (such as when the two learn about being robbed), but there are also good dramatic scenes, such at the motel and even near the end as well. The story structure is a familiar one, but it is executed in a fresh manner. The timing is excellent, with gags and secondary characters that serve their purposes well. It uses its scenery (mostly with snow) nicely, where everything seems real and looks real too. It's not a movie with mere caricatures, as both are equally likable in their own way, contributing their own kinds of emotion that makes for a film filled with depth. In short, this is a fine film that keeps itself in check, with Martin and Candy providing for many highlights that make for an excellent film.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Diner.

Review #561: Diner.

Cast
Steve Guttenberg (Edward "Eddie" Simmons), Daniel Stern (Laurence "Shrevie" Schreiber), Mickey Rourke (Robert "Boogie" Sheftell), Kevin Bacon (Timothy "Fen" Fenwick Jr), Tim Daly (William "Billy" Howard), Ellen Barkin (Beth Schreiber), Paul Reiser (Modell), Kathryn Dowling (Barbara), and Michael Tucker (Bagel) Directed by Barry Levinson (#383 - The Natural)

Review
Diner was Barry Levinson's directorial debut, and his first set around the city of Baltimore (He would make three others based on the city such as Tin Men, Avalon, and Liberty Heights), this being set on the turn of the 1950's. This is a very fun film to watch, this a movie that doesn't need much of a plot to work, it's a series of events that are pretty funny but also brilliant to watch (I like this one brief scene where Reiser complains over the word nuance. It's a short scene, but it exemplifies how random conversations get between friends, even over the stupidest things) The main five actors are great, they function well with each other, and that's the point of the movie. It's just a bunch of friends reuniting with one another for the wedding of one of them, but it's not about the wedding, it's a collection of moments between friends, a movie that feels natural, a movie that has fun and it's a movie that certainly delivers.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Friday the 13th (1980)

Review #275: Friday the 13th.

Cast
Betsy Palmer (Mrs. Voorhees), Adrienne King (Alice), Harry Crosby (Bill), Laurie Bartram (Brenda), Mark Nelson (Ned), Jeannine Taylor (Marcie), Robbi Morgan (Annie), Kevin Bacon (Jack), Peter Brouwer (Steve Christy), and Ari Lehman (Jason Voorhees) Directed by Sean S. Cunningham.

Review
You might be wondering "Why would you review this on a Monday and not on a Friday the 13th?" If I did, I'd have to wait until September 13, 2013 for the next Friday the 13th, and I'd rather get the first film out of the way to keep going with the past few days. So how is it? Uh...Eh. Just...Eh. To begin with, the film starts out with an opening sequence of a person eventually killing their first victims. Does that sound familiar? Maybe it's just me, but it really sounds like a cabin version of the opening sequence of Halloween. Then again, that sequence had much better suspense. And better music. It then goes with teenagers who set up to be ended off later, which...is eh? The film is kinda boring at some points, when it's just the teens playing around. But then there's the violence of it. In a way...it works. Why does it work here then in Halloween II? Because it didn't feel so forced (The blood was added to make Halloween II more "scary") It works in some shots (such as the knife through a certain breathing area) and not as much in others. While the acting is okay at best with a plot that is upwardly straightforward easy, it has some watchability with at least a few scares to make...an standardly okay film. Even if this would start a franchise. Fun to note this is my 275th Review.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: X-Men: First Class.

Review #042: X-Men: First Class.

Cast
James McAvoy (Charles Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Erik Lehnsharr), Kevin Bacon (Sebastian Shaw), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), January Jones (Emma Frost), Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert), and Nicholas Hoult (Hank McCoy) Directed by Matthew Vaughn.

Review
EDIT: I've edited this to remove this segment that is in retrospect, stupid to have added: "If you don't read the comics, then the film causes continuity issues for non readers (X-Men 3: The Last Stand's opening sequence in general with Xavier standing 20 years ago when he is paralyzed here in the 1960's)", especially given how the next X-Men film dealt with continuity. 

One notable thing is that the movie is directed by the guy who was supposed to direct X-Men: The Last Stand before departing. Now he has his chance here to make a good movie. Which he did. The cast did their best to be like their adult versions, and the action is good. One is that the film spends way too long on developing and training these guys. I mean, it's development, but it's so long. Another thing to add is that some of the characters are focused on when we know they don't matter to the plot, slowing the film a little bit more. It manages to be a good way to revamp the franchise in terms of quality and history, which is nice.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.