Halloween (2018)

We return to Halloween. There have been a lot of sequels and remakes over the years, some of them were truly awful. Halloween 2018 ignores them all and instead chooses to be a direct sequel to Halloween 1978.

There IS a fantastic nod to Halloween III in the form of the Silver Shamrock masks which I thought was amazing.

Laurie Strode has made herself ready for Michael, she is no longer the victim. She is also not neccesarily the main character. Much of the movie follows her granddaughter, the only one who seems to understand Laurie.

MICHAEL is back and he is evil personified. The kills are brutal and inventive, his strength is legendary. There are a few twists along the way as well.

The score is haunting and sets the tension to 11.

THIS is the sequel we always needed.

Halloween (1978)

 I haven't seen this movie in a decade so i needed a refresher before Halloween 2018.

This is a classic slasher, there's no rhyme or reason just evil. Michael Myers is one of the most terrifying slashers ever on screen. The strength he displays, his breath under the mask. A young Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, in my opinion THE difinitive survivor girl. This movie is full of classic tropes because it invented most of them. 

Who knew a William Shatner mask could be so terrifying. While the kills aren't very inventive they are brutal and horrifying. The score is iconic and you're on the edge of your seat the whole time.

If you have never seen Halloween I suggest you turn the lights off, hit play and give yourself over to terror.

Hellfest (2018)

Slashers are my favorite horror subgenre. Hellfest looked generic but it had a cool poster and who doesn't want to see a slasher in a crowded amusement park.

The pacing was great, we're introduced to the gang and then we're told about Hellfest after an introduction to our killer. There's lots of color, neon lights and such but everything remains dark and ominous.

The amusement park is pretty cool, it's a combinination of a couple haunts with some games and even an escape room or two.

Our killer is terrifying without being a supernatural being from hell. It kind of reminded me of scream a little where the evil is in the heart of man, thers no reason, no explaination.

Hellfest succeeded in keeping me on the edge of my seat. A modern day classic in my opinion.

A Star is Born (2018)

 

I wasn't too interested in seeing this for any reason other than Lady Gaga. Man was this good. I was engaged right away, the music the colour and the characters. 

Bradley Cooper took on quite the persona, he's pulling double duty as actor and director but man it was great. Gaga's character seemed a little close to her actual self so maybe not a stretch for her. 

A Star is Born is ann emotional roller coaster that I was not prepared for. I cried and I laughed too. I felt connected to every moment, I was fully invested in their story.

If you like music go see this movie. If you like drama go see this movie. If you like Gaga go see this movie. If you like Bradley Cooper go see this movie. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

No place for a priest. Bad Times at the El Royal feels like a Tarantino movie. You've got one singular event covered by 4 perspectives, add some classic music and you're rolling.

The trailer seemed ver generic and I felt like it showed a little too much and while it did show more than what I would have liked there was still plenty going on that wasn't spoiled.

I like movies set in different times, it's the attention to detail to make a movie FEEL like a different time and it certainly worked here.

Ever since Mad Men I've been a Jon Hamm guy and he was pretty good here but the best performances go to Chris Hemsworth and Jeff Bridges.

Bad Times has a lot of layers and I think it's a flick you have to experience a couple of times.

Venom (2018)

 I went into Venom with very low expectations. How do you do a Venom movie without Spider-Man?
The first trailer was god awful and it looked like we were only going to get the suit briefly.

I will be the first to admit that I was wrong. Venom worked! The way they portayed Eddie Brock was spot on and it wasn't lacking without Peter as a focus. Tom Hardy was ajoy to watch but as far as I'm concerned Michelle William's part was the best.

The CGI was rough at parts but it wasn't distracting to look at. The way the symbiote interacted with Eddie was amazing. Venom was not my favorite character growing up, he wasn't even on the list (Spider-Man wasn't my thing.)

This movie wasn't amazing but it was good. Go in with low expectations and you're in for a fun ride.