Movie Info:
Writer: Rob Zombie
Director: Rob Zombie
Cast: Sheri Moon Zombie, Chase Wright Vanek, Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif, Caroline Williams, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Dayton Callie, Richard Brake, Octavia Spencer, Danielle Harris, Richard Riehle, Margot Kidder
Rating: Unrated
Studio: Sony

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: August 28, 2009
DVD Release Date: January 12, 2010
Online Availability: Amazon for $24.99

Donald Pleasence is rolling over in his grave. Dr. Loomis has become a substandard, loser and Malcolm McDowell ruins the vision Pleasence created for the character. Loomis is an important part of the original Halloween franchise. This new Loomis is a big joke. I wasn’t fond of McDowell’s portrayal of Loomis in the Halloween remake, though I will admit I respect the differences in Rob Zombie’s overall vision and new take on his remake of the original. However, McDowell becomes even more intolerable in Halloween II as the sellout, writing books about his experience with Michael and only caring enough to profit off of it, which already adds to a train wreck of a movie that derails any potential Zombie’s vision had.

Pleasence’s Loomis was the audience’s true connection to Michael. He studied this child for so many years and knew what he was capable of. His only goal was to keep the world safe from Michael, whom he knew was filled with pure evil. Nothing could have kept Loomis from doing what he believed was the right thing and that would not involve selling out. The new Loomis is so pathetic nobody in the film even likes him. Zombie said he wanted Loomis to change, but the changes he made ruined the character.

The one thing that makes sense concerning Halloween II is the role reversal between Annie and Laurie. In Zombie’s part one, Laurie is very much like Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie (though no one can top Curtis in the role). This Laurie is a bit prudish, a bookworm, and perhaps even a bit shy. Annie, on the other hand, is a party girl who is somewhat of a slut. In part two, after dealing with their own perspective ordeals (Laurie escapes and believes she murdered Michael Myers and Annie survives the mutilation and attempted murder by Michael Myers), Annie has become the homebody. She is responsible for Laurie and her father, the Sheriff, and she also dresses much more conservatively. Laurie lashes out, has constant nightmares, pushes Annie away, and has become a party animal with her new slutty friends. This makes sense based on what the girls have gone through.

The rest of the story makes no sense. Zombie, apparently, wanted a way to include his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, in this second installment, so he provides the audience with an outlandish story that has nothing to do with the original films and is filled with ghostly encounters and white horses. Young Michael becomes a parody of the egocentric, unfeeling shell of pure evil incarnate Daeg Faerch created in Zombie’s new vision. Replacing Faerch with the whiny, unconvincing Chase Wright Vanek just added to my displeasure with this film. While Faerch captured the creepiness needed to make Michael a believable psycho-serial killer, Vanek acts the part of the dependent, mama’s boy who is only killing to bring his family back together.

Speaking of killing, despite the mama’s boy attitude of the young Michael, Tyler Mane’s Michael is a ruthless, brutal murderer. Part of what made the original Michael Myers so scary and successful as a horror villain was his matter of fact attitude when killing. Mane’s Michael is brutal and he puts his entire body into it. He is a frenzied killer who will stab someone 137 times in a flurry. The original Michael is methodical and demented, but there is no overkill. His deaths are gross, but he is not frenzied in the process. He knows he’s going to kill you so he just does it. He also uses a knife, while Mane’s Michael will use an axe, a gun, or he’ll choke his victims just for the fun of it. Isn’t Michael more fun when he’s knifing a victim to a door? I think so.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writers: Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
Directors: Neill Blomkamp
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, John Sumner, Vanessa Haywood, Marian Hooman
Rating: R
Studio: Sony

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: August 14, 2009
DVD Release Date: December 22, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

While I had heard about District 9, I really did not know anything about the movie. What I did know was it was a Sci Fi movie and might involve aliens. That is about as far as my knowledge of this movie got. Despite any clue as to what this movie was about, I also heard it was good. Therefore, I wanted to check it out. I entered this film with a pretty much clean slate of knowledge.

After watching District 9 I must say it was money well spent for Peter Jackson. I am not a huge Jackson fan, but I can appreciate the efforts of a good producer who gives a chance to a budding creator/filmmaker. The story goes that Jackson was going to have Neill Blomkamp direct one of his projects. The project fell through, and Jackson decided to hand over his cash to let Blomkamp create his own movie. What he came up with is District 9.

Blomkamp had originally made his story for District 9 as a short film. This was an idea he’d filmed early in his career, and now, there was a chance to expand upon the idea. The millions of dollars that have been put into District 9 made the film a high tech, visually stimulating production. Of course, the story is what drives this movie and it is both well written and engaging.

Shadowing a world that South Africans knew well, District 9 explores the same kind of themes that were present during the 1980s in the apartheid era. Instead of racial discrimination, the discrimination is inter-species discrimination. Set in a modern world, we as audience members get a glimpse into what the world might be like if aliens showed up here on Earth, and sadly what happens isn’t pretty, though it does make for good storytelling.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writer: Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley
Director: Hoyt Yeatman
Cast: Bill Nighy, Sam Rockwell, Will Arnett, Jon Favreau, Zach Galifianakis, Nicolas Cage, Kelli Garner, Penélope Cruz, Tyler Patrick Jones, Steve Buscemi, Piper Mackenzie Harris
Rating: PG
Studio: Walt Disney Video

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: July 24, 2009
DVD Release Date: December 15, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $

I knew, as soon as I saw the commercials for G-Force that it was going to be stupid. You see, Disney has a few different styles of animation. First, there is Pixar, with movies that are always excellent and instantly become animated classics. Then there are the cool animated features that Disney actually took quite a bit of time to make, like The Princess and the Frog. Then there are these CGI flicks that seem to be made just for the amusement of today’s children with very little substance to them. G-Force is one of those films.

Yes, I guess talking guinea pigs are kind of cute. Making them superheroes seems a little ridiculous and though the cast appears to be decent, not even Jon Favreau can save a movie about a bunch of crazy rodents. I was bored to tears while watching this movie…but, I admit it. The kids loved this mindless, crazy little film. Have no doubts, your little ones will love it, but sadly I don’t think that Walt Disney had this drivel in mind when he was building his animated empire.

The thing I always liked about Disney was how family oriented their movies were. A mom could enjoy a Disney flick just as much as her kids. Heck, Dad and the Grandparents often were able to get in on the action, and enjoyed the film, as well. In the last decade or so, Disney has moved away from strictly family-friendly affairs and made movies that appeal more to kids, but make Mom and Dad want to slit their wrists if they have to watch these movies more than once. This makes me sad.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writer: Anna McRoberts, Robert Vince
Director: Robert Vince
Cast: George Wendt, Christopher Lloyd, Danny Woodburn
Rating: G
Studio: Disney

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: November 24, 2009
DVD Release Date: November 24, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $24.99

I might be a reviewer, but there are some movies that I just do not want to see. Some press releases get me nice and excited thinking about the great films that I will be able to review and others make me groan with the thought of upcoming boredom.

Santa Buddies was not one of the movies that I was excited to see. In fact, I only decided to review it because my nephew was dying to see it. He made me promise to get it for him, so I got it for review so that he could see it. I watched it with him and he liked it so much that I had to bring the DVD to his house, so that he could keep it and watch it with his friends. When he saw me walking out of the house with the case, he wanted to know where I was taking his DVD. He calmed down when he realized it was just the Blu-ray. If he had a Blu-ray player I would have let him keep it. Lord knows, I probably won’t get much use out of it unless he wants to watch it at my house.

When it comes to holiday movies this fails. There is nothing else to say about it. Santa Buddies is a movie that rides off of the success of a movie that came out a long time ago. That movie, Air Bud, was good, but it wasn’t good enough to spawn this many sequels. I mean seriously, what plans does Disney have in the future? Is this going to be a holiday tradition? Valentine’s Day spawns Cupid Buddies, Easter offers up Easter Buddies, and New Years Eve brings us Party Buddies?!?

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writer: Pete Docter, Jill Culton
Director: Pete Docter, David Silverman
Cast: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Mary Gibbs, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger, Frank Oz
Rating: G
Studio: Pixar

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: November 2, 2001
DVD Release Date: November 10, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $21.49

It’s hard to ignore the power of a Pixar film. With eye-catching animation and stellar storylines, Pixar has been sweeping the field and gaining fans left and right ever since they hit the streets. I have been a fan since day one. Toy Story is still one of my favorites and the sequel was equally as endearing, even if it was a sequel. Monsters, Inc falls in line as the fourth Pixar movie. In the line of gross and distribution it was the highest grossing in comparison to the movies that came before it. However, in the complete Pixar library it ranks as the fifth top grossing behind blockbusters like UP, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Wall-E, and The Incredibles.

Like many other Pixar films, Monsters caters to both adults and kids. Kids will find the storyline funny and the monsters, adorable (for the most part). Adults will enjoy a storyline that is not dumbed down for kids and the voice acting of notable names like John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Bonnie Hunt, Jennifer Tilly, Steve Buscemi, and the Pixar staple as far as voice talent goes, John Ratzenberger.

Over the years, Monsters has served Pixar well. It has spawned a series of video games, mass merchandising, and more than one theme park ride in different countries. A movie couldn’t ask for a warmer embracement. Still, I have to admit that I had forgotten about this title. It was sent for review and I found myself having to watch it to be refreshed by the story, rather than the quality. I knew that it was cute and that both my son and I had liked it when it came out eight years ago, but I had honestly only seen it that one time.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writer: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Cast: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft, John Ratzenberger, David Kaye, Elie Docter, Jeremy Leary, Mickie McGowan, Danny Mann
Rating: PG
Studio: Pixar

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: May 29, 2009
DVD Release Date: November 10, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

Seldom do I find that animated films make me actually feel a selection of emotions while watching. The majority of features, especially by Pixar, are happy, somewhat predictable stories that are bound to end with a happy, feel good ending. Well, UP has to be the most realistic of the Pixar films. UP made my emotions run the gamut from sadness to hope, happiness to frustration.

The realism in this beautifully rendered, animated feature is part of why I believe this is Pixar’s greatest release. The story deals with some heavy subjects that may go over the littlest Pixar fans’ heads, but the topics aren’t too boring that the youngsters won’t enjoy the story. Subjects like grief, accepting death, and growing old are told in ways that won’t overwhelm children, won’t bore adults, and will strike a chord in older audiences. I loved the story, which I felt was a little more sappy then I was expecting, but it was sappy in a good way.

One thing I really like about UP is how likable the characters are. Carl Fredricksen is the most awesome, hilarious, old man. He’s the grandfather you’d love to have, even if he is a little curmudgeon-y and cranky. This is understandable given the circumstances he has to endure. Russell could have become annoying, but instead he’s portrayed as a fun, inquisitive, delightful youth. You want Mr. Fredericksen to take Russell under his wing, especially when you hear about his absent father. Even Dug and Kevin do not get annoying, providing comic relief to a somewhat heavy story.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writer: Connor James Delaney
Director: Declan O’Brien
Cast: Tom Frederic, Janet Montgomery, Tamer Hassan, Gil Kolirin, Tom McKay, Christian Contreras, Jake Curran, Chucky Venice, Louise Cliffe, Emma Clifford, Jack Gordon, Borislav Iliev
Rating: R
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: October 20, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

They just keep getting dumber and dumber. When Wrong Turn was released, I saw it because I think Eliza Dushku is hot. It wasn’t bad as far as horror goes. However, there is a long standing problem with horror movies. The creators think they have a hit on their hands and develop 800 sequels! That would be great if the sequels were any good. I find most sequels are miss with the occasional hit.

For example, Halloween and Halloween 2 are both pretty good, but 2 is a continuation of the story in the original, so it works out. The third film was a bust. Four and five were okay, only because they played off the story in 1 and 2, but the rest of the sequels sucked. I feel the same way with A Nightmare on Elm Street (1 & 3 are good, the rest suck), Friday the 13th (1, 2, and 5 are good, the rest suck), Saw (anything after 3 sucks), The Evil Dead (1 was the best), and pretty much every other horror movie with sequels out there. Wrong Turn is no different.

This series follows the same path the Pulse movies follow. The first one was okay, but making sequels never should have happened. Wrong Turn 2 was bad enough, but taking this pathetic movie series to a third film was just too much. I was done after the first film. Seriously, when your horror movie is going direct to DVD, it is a sign that it is time to quit.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writer: The Brothers Grimm and various others
Director: David Hand
Cast: Adriana Caselotti, Lucille La Verne, Roy Atwell, Eddie Collins, Pinto Colvig, Billy Gilbert, Otis Harlan, Scotty Mattraw
Rating: G
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Release Info:
Original Theatrical Release Date: February 4, 1938
DVD Release Date: October 6, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99

I, like many other adults my age, have been able to take for granted the fact that Disney regularly makes decent animated features. When Snow White was being developed by Walt Disney and his company, the Disney company had never made a full length, animated, feature film. This was the first Disney feature, that has made way for many, other exceptional animated movies. Without Snow White we wouldn’t have had Bambi, Lady and the Tramp, The Fox and the Hound, and many, other classic Disney films that are a part of my (and probably your) Disney collection.

At the time it was released, Snow White was revolutionary. Most animated studios focused on cartoon shorts, so a full, animated feature was a lot more work, since animation was hand drawn at that time. You can see the care taken to make this film something spectacular. It’s a beautiful film that is even more enhanced by the HD capabilities today. Not to sound cliché, but the Blu-Ray presentation of this Disney classic is absolutely gorgeous.

It is hard to dispute the worth of a film like Snow White. The story had been around since the days of the Brothers Grimm, who first told the tale of the beautiful Snow White, her wicked stepmother, and the seven, friendly dwarfs. The Disney dwarfs have become a symbol of Walt Disney and the Disney Company. You’d have to be living under a rock to not know Dopey, Grumpy, Sleepy or the other dwarfs. Of course, this just adds to the timeless nature of the film, Disney’s legacy and our longstanding recognition of the characters within it.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writer: Jack Ketchum
Director: Andrew van den Houten
Cast: Amy Hargreaves, Art Hindle, Tommy Nelson, Ahna Tessler, David Halbard, Erick Kastel, Taylor John Piedmonte
Rating: R
Studio: Lionsgate

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: October 6, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $17.99

I have never read any of Jack Ketchum’s books, but he seems to be highly recommended by the Master of Horror, Stephen King. I’ve heard quite a bit about how graphic, gruesome, yet well written the Ketchum novels are. When I learned that Offspring was written by Ketchum and adapted for the screen by him, I was surprised. I can see why Ketchum is a popular horror writer. However, the story’s interpretation to screen leaves much to be desired.

I have to put most of the fault of Offspring’s failures on the director. The story is not what suffers. I found the story/plot to be downright creepy. If this scenario really happened I’d be quite frightened. The problem was in the execution, especially with the portrayal of the actual offspring. I found them to be oddly portrayed and almost, sickly laughable. I like my cannibals to be scary, not mumbling, awkward, and mindless. These cannibals act like a ridiculous, zombie-like species, except when they’re killed, they stay dead.

The actors for Offspring do an okay job for what they are offered. I didn’t have a problem with the non-cannibal actors. The cannibals wore the makeup and outfits of what I’d expect of savage, people eating, tribal folks. However, their actions, their language (or lack thereof) and their entire mindless, kill mentality turned me off. Movies are never as good as the books, I expect that, but it is the movie that suffers because of the direction these characters were taken in.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.

Movie Info:
Writers: Michael Mann, David Mamet, Ted Tally, Steven Zaillian, Thomas Harris
Directors: Ridley Scott, Michael Mann, Jonathan Demme
Cast: Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Giancarlo Giannini, Dennis Farina, Stephen Lang, Tom Noonan, Kim Greist, Julianne Moore, Jodie Foster, Joan Allen, Francesca Neri, Anthony Hopkins, Brian Cox, Ray Liotta, Frankie Faison, William Petersen
Rating: R
Studio: Fox Home Entertainment/MGM

Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 15, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $44.49

I am a huge fan of films involving Hannibal Lecter. I’m also a huge fan of William Petersen, Jodie Foster, Joan Allen, and Anthony Hopkins. That means I was pretty anxious to get my hands on a copy of the Hannibal Lecter Collection. This collection consists of Manhunter, Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. While I had seen Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, as well as Red Dragon (the feature film version of Manhunter), I had never before seen the TV movie, Manhunter. I knew it followed pretty much the same storyline as Red Dragon does, I knew it had an excellent cast, and I had heard only good things about it. This made me very curious about seeing Manhunter.

Out of this set of three movies, the best is Silence of the Lambs. It’s hard to beat the story. In fact, Silence has been one of my favorite movies of all time for years. I can’t discount Manhunter, though. While I enjoyed Red Dragon, I have to say that William Petersen really made Manhunter worth watching. While it was weird to see Brian Cox in the role of Hannibal Lecter, considering I’ve only seen Hopkins play the role prior to watching Manhunter, I don’t think Cox did too bad a job. His Lecter was quite different from the one portrayed by Hopkins. While I find Hopkins is the definitive Lecter, I can’t dislike Cox’s portrayal too much, especially since it is so different from the one by Hopkins.

The only dead weight in this set is Hannibal. The biggest problem is that Jodie Foster isn’t in this. While Julianne Moore took over the role of Clarice Starling, and I generally like Moore, I just can’t see anyone else in the role but Foster. I am of the firm belief that for a sequel to exist, it needs to be a strong extension of the first film and I don’t feel that is what Hannibal offered. It wasn’t just about replacing Foster with Moore. The story just didn’t feel as connected to Silence as I feel it should have. That being said, for what the actors are given to work with, I don’t feel they did a horrible job. It’s rather mediocre, which is expected considering the expectations a sequel has after following a movie like Silence of the Lambs.

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.