-------------------------------------------------------------------
In case you haven’t seen the intro from my entry dated
1/26/19 (it’s in my archives whenever you want to read it), I’m no longer going
to review every single movie I see. I’m
going to review one, with the occasional bonus, and just give ratings for the
rest from now on (unless I decide to pick it up again in the future). You can always ask me why I gave the ratings
for the films without reviews though (via comments or the e-mail addresses
under the ‘About Me’ section).
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Black Christmas EH
I was very upset upon hearing this was the second (!) remake
of Bob Clark’s seminal yuletide terror classic from 1974. I was also bummed upon hearing it was rated
PG-13! Slasher movies can’t be
PG-13! One of the reasons we slasher
fans like slasher movies are for the kills (in addition to the characters being
likable and the villain being noteworthy).
I gave into seeing it (like always) because ‘tis the season and I needed
a new holiday movie to watch. I also
went during a bargain time and I have an AMC gift card (yes, even when I have a
gift card I still like to spend the least amount possible; I want to see as
many free movies as I can). I also watched
the other two versions recently, so why stop?
Aside from a few references to the original film that true fans will
notice, this really wasn’t a remake.
Essentially, any horror movie set around Christmastime could very well
be called Black Christmas. I would’ve been all for it being a
reimagining instead of a remake (it worked for Child’s Play) if only it were a better movie. It begins like a slasher movie, predictable at
that, predictable in the sense they weren’t even trying. When all is said and done, it’s more of a
college conspiracy film, kind of akin to The
Skulls more than the other two films bearing the same title, or any slasher
film for that matter. It’s also a
message movie with a predominantly feminist slant. It just didn’t work for me, not as a slasher
film, not as a college conspiracy film, and not as a message movie. My advice?
Just watch or re-watch Bob Clark’s film that’s still good 45 years
later. And if you’re feeling a bit extra
festive, go ahead and watch the 2006 remake as well. Coming from someone with OCD, you really don’t
need to include this version in your marathon.
[You can read my reviews of the other two versions in one of my other
blogs---https://vampireclown82-2.blogspot.com/2016/11/imdreaming-of-blackchristmas.html]. 12/14/2019
Bonus review:
Once Upon a Time in
Hollywood EH
This is the 9th film from Quentin Tarantino. Tenth if you count Kill Bill, volumes 1 and 2, as separate movies (I, and mostly
everyone else, count them as one). Yes,
I am a fan of Mr. Tarantino, the filmmaker who pretty much went to film school
by working at a video store (those places were basically my education growing
up). Let’s see, I am a fan of Reservoir Dogs but don’t love it (I do
own a shirt though that I got real cheap, so I like it enough). I love Pulp
Fiction (one of my favorite movies).
I like Jackie Brown, but it
definitely wasn’t one of his best (he also had 2 previous films to live up
to). I am a fan of both volumes of Kill Bill, more so of the first
volume. I liked Death Proof, his half of Grindhouse. Inglourious
Basterds ended up being my favorite movie of the year it came out because I
remember being engrossed the entire 2 ½ hours of mostly dialogue (something
Quentin seems to excel at). Django Unchained was good but felt as
long as it actually was. I did like The Hateful Eight, enough to make my
‘best of’ list that year, as it was an effective film using nonlinear
techniques with several characters we got to know real well (both
Tarantino-esque qualities as well).
Well, like they say (or someone said, I can’t really remember where it
originated), every good director is entitled to at least one flop. I’m not sure entitled is the correct word,
but every good director is almost expected to make at least one flop, just like
no musical artist is expected to have all good songs (even though, yes,
everyone is different and tastes are subjective). Anyway, I hate to say that I didn’t like this
9th (or 10th) film from Mr. Tarantino. It was a big disappointment. It could be that it didn’t really feel like a
Tarantino film as well. Much like the
subject matter, it felt “too Hollywood” coming from a filmmaker of Quentin’s
caliber. It involves Leonardo DiCaprio
as a western actor in the Sixties and the films-within-the-film he performed in
did nothing but bog down the film we as an audience were watching. I just didn’t see what was so compelling
about watching him act as an actor in just parts of films-within-the-film. None of the dialogue-heavy scenes (something
Quentin normally excels at as I’ve said) were particularly striking
either. Oh, and the Manson family is
involved too. I think I’ve seen enough
films featuring the man and his “family,” a recent one being Charlie Says which I wasn’t particularly
a fan of. I didn’t mind how Quentin
rewrote some of history, many films based on fact are often fabricated anyway,
and I enjoyed his signature use of violence utilized during that segment, but
it wasn’t enough and was way too late to save the rest of the 161-minute
feature. Quentin, here’s to hoping your
next film, which I hope isn’t Star Trek-related
as has been rumored, picks you back up again.
I can momentarily forgive one misfire out of 9 (or 10) pictures. 12/14/2019
Other
movies I've seen and their ratings (see above):
An Elephant Sitting
Still >>>OK/G
Hustlers >>>EH
Night Hunter >>>OK
A Score to Settle >>>EH
---Sean O.
12/16/2019
No comments:
Post a Comment