Month: October 2019

Highfire by Eoin Colfer

Publisher Quercus Books

Pages 384

Release 28.1.2020

Type Hardcover

About From the internationally bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series: Eoin Colfer’s first adult fantasy novel is a hilarious, high-octane adventure about a vodka-drinking, Flashdance-loving dragon who’s been hiding out from the world – and potential torch-carrying mobs – in a Louisiana bayou . . . until his peaceful world’s turned upside down by a well-intentioned but wild Cajun tearaway and the crooked (and heavily armed) law officer who wants him dead.

Squib Moreau may be swamp-wild, but his intentions are (generally) good: he really wants to be a supportive son to his hard-working momma Elodie. But sometimes life gets in the way – like when Fake Daddy walked out on them leaving a ton of debt, or when crooked Constable Regence Hooke got to thinking pretty Elodie Moreau was just the gal for him . . .

An apprenticeship with the local moonshine runner, servicing the bayou, looks like the only way to pay off the family debts and maybe get Squib and his momma a place in town, far from Constable Hooke’s unwanted courtship and Fake Daddy’s reputation.

Unfortunately for Squib, Hooke has his own eye on that very same stretch of bayou – and neither of them have taken into account the fire-breathing dragon hiding out in the Louisiana swamp . . . 

For Squib Moreau, Regence Hooke and Vern, aka Lord Highfire of Highfire Eyrie, life is never going to be the same again.

Highfire is a genre-bending tour-de-force of comedy and action by the million-copy-selling master storyteller.

What a glorious read from the amazing mind of Eoin Colfer. Vern is the last living dragon and reads like a character created for David Harbour to play. He’s gruff and closed off, and that’s the way he likes it. That is, of course, until Squib comes hurtling into his life, bringing with him chaos and danger.

It’s a well written, funny book that doesn’t hold back in the slightest. You can clearly see from how this book is crafted, why Colfer wrote another instalment in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s series. It’s a book for adults, there’s no two ways about that. However, there’s many fans out there who grew up alongside Artemis and are ripe for this more adult content.

It’s a story about good and evil, and all those bits in between. I love that it’s not clear cut and there’s no one person who is clear cut good. Squib has his dodgy dealings, Vern is a grump who’d rather eat you and even Squib’s mother is able to accept certain elements of the dark side.

While the main story for me is the developing friendship between Vern and Squib there’s also the sub plot of corrupt man of the law, Hooke and his relationship with a gang outside of the town. Of course, in perfect Colfer tradition, these plot threads weave together perfectly.

It’s a wonderful stand alone story with a fulfilling, yet open ending. However, I would love to see a sequel. Actually, I’d love to see many sequels.

Love Han x

The Thing (1982)

Rating X/18

Length 1 hr 44

Release 26.8.1982

About In remote Antarctica, a group of American research scientists are disturbed at their base camp by a helicopter shooting at a sled dog. When they take in the dog, it brutally attacks both human beings and canines in the camp and they discover that the beast can assume the shape of its victims. A resourceful helicopter pilot (Kurt Russell) and the camp doctor (Richard Dysart) lead the camp crew in a desperate, gory battle against the vicious creature before it picks them all off, one by one.

Treat

  • This is a near perfect film for me. There’s a perfect and smooth introduction to the cast. It’s not clear at the beginning who is the protagonist, and even when you consider Kurt Russell’s Mac your main man, the film throws I doubt your way. Even if movie logic tells you that he can’t be the Thing, your breath still catches.
  • Speaking of Kurt Russell, he is perfectly cast and I love the initial progression of his character from the reluctance to fly to Norway’s camp to insisting they have to go a second time. Also, he has such pretty, pretty hair. While many blokes might not appreciate it, but as a woman with little else in the film designed to engage me (Other than a fucking awesome plot), I’m going to pick up on his god damn pretty hair.
  • There’s no women in this film. I’m not saying the absence of women is the treat, but the way in which its handled is. Not only are there no women cast, there’s not naked posters objectifying women. In fact, there’s no mention of women at all. The only thing that’s presented is when Palmer turns off a game show to play porn and even that is done in a tasteful way; we hear it, but at no point to we get a shot of it.
  • The music is terrifying. I’ve never found a score more effective than the rhythmic beat from this theme. It’s almost that its simplicity is what makes it so terrifying.
  • The effects of this film are still as gory and horrific As I’d imagine they were back in the day. Yes, some of the transformations make the human features look ‘fake’, but I feel that actually adds to the horror of it all, especially when it comes to THAT scene. There’s no CGI that could make that crawling head freak me out more.
  • The tension in this film is constantly evolving, but it never lets up and the key to that is how the film uses ambiguity and suspicion to tear the group apart.

Trick

  • The opening shot is very similar to the once scene in Predator. By that I mean the childlike corner drawing of the Earth and the spaceship entering the atmosphere. Something that I feel is a little pointless other than letting you know height from the get go its aliens. Plus, Earth in the corner?! No wonder we all grew up popping the sun on the corner of our page when we painted as kids.
  • I would have liked a mention of life beyond the camp. There’s no mention of having people ‘back home’ and I think that might have added emotional weight and give at least one of them something to fight for.

Final Thoughts

A film that is well made, well cast and scary as hell. Not so much the creature itself, but how easily man turns on itself and the fear of the ultimate unknown.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Rating X

Length 2Hr 7

Release 9.3.1980

About As hordes of zombies swarm over the U.S., the terrified populace tries everything in their power to escape the attack of the undead, but neither cities nor the countryside prove safe. In Pennsylvania, radio-station employee Stephen (David Emge) and his girlfriend, Francine (Gaylen Ross), escape in the station helicopter, accompanied by two renegade SWAT members, Roger and Pete. The group retreats to the haven of an enclosed shopping center to make what could be humanity’s last stand.

Treat

  • As an audience, you’re thrown in the deep end. Chaos has already taken hold and you have to run to keep up.
  • There was a zombie POV shot in the Peter/Roger opening scene that was really well done and I was very surprised to see that this film has more balls than Walking Dead by having, and killing, children zombies.
  • There’s plenty of shots that have clearly inspired others, namely the Mall based sections of S3 of Stranger Things.
  • Rogar’s fate was played out in a rather unexpected way that I found interesting. If he hadn’t been just a toolbag, I might have actually cared.

Trick

  • Despite its relatively high powered opening, I ultimately found the film boring and lifeless. Pun aside, I felt no sympathy or attachment to any of the four main characters.
  • Is it wrong that I was waiting for the baby to claw it’s way, all zombie-like, from the woman’s womb?
  • While the four characters provide a certain dynamic that works to a certain extent, I fell as if more human characters are needed for the length of time the film runs for. Perhaps it’s the quality of the acting, or the expectation of a human body count but for me it really stalled the plot.
  • Some of the zombie scenes are rather too comical. From having the humans punch them in the face to falling all over the place, it’s hard to take seriously.

Final Thoughts

Of my creatures featured in movies, zombies are my least favourite. It comes as no surprise that I’m indifferent to this movie. Yes, it’s well(ish) made for an independent effort from the 70s, but it’s not the amazing fanfare to cinema I’ve been made to believe.


Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)

Rating: PG

Length: 1Hr 30

Release: 19.10.2018

About: While collecting junk one day, best friends Sonny and Sam meet Slappy, a mischievous talking dummy from an unpublished “Goosebumps” book by R.L. Stine. Hoping to start his own family, Slappy kidnaps Sonny’s mother and brings all of his ghoulish friends back to life — just in time for Halloween. As the sleepy town becomes overrun with monsters, witches and other mysterious creatures, Sonny joins forces with his sister, Sam and a kindly neighbor to save Sonny’s mom and foil Slappy’s plan.

Treat

  • I like the idea of having Slappy as the horror focus. The way it starts I was expecting it to go down the road of a more conventional Goosebumps story.
  • It’s a simple plot that doesn’t require any thought without leaving you with that ache that you’ve wasted your time.
  • The cast is pretty decent and work well together. While there isn’t much of a callback to the original cast, aside for Jack Black, the cast we’re given makes sure we don’t miss them.

Trick

  • It pretty much retraces the steps of the first movie and one of the main problems is it goes way too big and chaotic. Just having one monster on the rampage should be enough, not the entire Goosebumps catalogue.

Final Thoughts

It’s a fair attempt a sequel but not something I’ll rush to watch again.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

Rating: 15

Length: 2Hr 8

Release: 23.10.2019

About: Sarah Connor and a hybrid cyborg human must protect a young girl from a newly modified liquid Terminator from the future.

The Good

  • Sarah Connor. Having Linda Hamilton back was a god send. Yeah, she’s ‘old’ and she sounds a bit like Dot Cotton after a lifetime of fags but she makes this franchise enjoyable, relatable and scary. There was the novelty of having Arnie ‘go good’ in T2, but certainly for me it’s about Connor’s disenfranchisement from the world in which she lives.
  • The dialogue makes nods to first film, but it doesn’t replicate it like some of the sequels have done. The same goes for the plot; you might feel uneasy at first, after all it does start to feel like a reboot. Stick with it because, on the most part I like where it goes.
  • The relationships between the three women; Sarah, Grace and Dani makes for an interesting watch. Add to the mix the dude who has been the face of the franchise for the last 35 years, you have a dangerous mix of emotions and sass.
  • The new Terminator was pretty bad ass and blended some of the best aspects of the assassination cyborgs from the previous films.

The Bad

  • Too many flashbacks. I have flash back fatigue especially in relation to traumatic events. Filmmakers, watch your own movies. If the flashback is telling the audience something they already know, especially if a character just said it, ditch the scene. If it doesn’t add anything, it bogs the film down.

The Ugly

  • The film’s action started way too big, so it never really had anywhere else to go. The best parts of the film was the small moments and the interactions between the characters so it’s a shame that the film decided to go in a similar direction to all the films Cameron wants the audience to disregard.
  • Grace has a plot flaw that I found rather irritating and rather baffling. They explain it away, but it still doesn’t make tactical sense and I think some better planing was required to improve the design of the time travelling support.

Final Thoughts

The Kitchen (2019)

Rating 15

Length 1Hr 42

Release 20.9.2019

About Between 8th Ave. and the Hudson River, the Irish mafia runs 20 blocks of a tough New York City neighborhood known as Hell’s Kitchen. But for mob wives Kathy, Ruby and Claire, things are about to take a dramatic and radical turn. When the FBI sends their husbands to prison, the three women take business into their own hands by running the rackets and taking out the competition.

The Good

  • Melissa McCarthy proves to audiences that she’s like some of the best comedians out there: able to bring a dramatic turn to the screen. McCarthy is perfectly cast as a legacy daughter to the mob in Hell’s Kitchen. She’s incredible to watch and you can identify with what she’s trying to achieve.
  • McCarthy is not the only one giving a surprising performance. Tiffany Haddish was a chameleon in the Kitchen. Yes, she keeps some of her mouth, but it doesn’t bog the film down like I’ve seen it do in others.
  • The soundtrack is, well I’d say it was one of the best if they hadn’t stolen half of Star Lord’s Awesome Mix Vol 1. The songs keep the film’s darkness at bay.

The Bad

  • I’m not sure there’s a redeeming character among the main players. Yes, they start their operation to get by, but they all become consumed by it.
  • Domhnall Gleeson is meant to be wack-a-doodle. I’m happy to see him in the film, but aside from not flinching when he does the dirty work, there’s nothing about his character that suggests him being an outcast.

The Ugly

  • The film’s final act feels very left field. Good storytelling should be layered and allow for you to at least, on a second viewing, see it coming. It wasn’t the case with this film’s attempt at smart cinema.

Final thoughts

It’s gangster lite and a little more mainstream, but in the end it’s plot and dialogue will keep it from being remembered as a mould-breaking ‘classic’

Predator (1987)

Rating: 18

Length: 1Hr 47

Release: 1.1.1988

About: Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a soldier of fortune, is hired by the U.S. government to secretly rescue a group of politicians trapped in Guatemala. But when Dutch and his team, which includes weapons expert Blain (Jesse Ventura) and CIA agent George (Carl Weathers), land in Central America, something is gravely wrong. After finding a string of dead bodies, the crew discovers they are being hunted by a brutal creature with superhuman strength and the ability to disappear into its surroundings.

Treat

  • The Predator is visually out of this world. Sorry for the bad pun, but it’s on a level with the xenomorph in terms of something that could prompt a nightmare. It’s hidden well which adds to the fear factor.
  • You have a group of commandos who are hench and seen action. And they’re scared enough to say they’re scared. Yup, that’s enough to have my heart racing.
  • Outside of the opening shot in space, you could have walked into this movie thinking it was a war film. In fact, I think that would have been scarier because you’d truly be one of the mission team. It does add to the fear because you sense what’s coming.
  • I think the scariest part of the film is that Arnie doesn’t defeat him. Not really. Predator kills himself and that is one of the scariest parts of war.

Trick

  • The biggest issue I have with the film is it’s final act. I’m watching a group of commandos, the best of the best, all bite the dust because of this creature from outer space. Yet, Arnie, the one who doesn’t get a single shot off at it prior to the one hour mark is able to defeat it single handily?! That makes the Predator an absolute pussy and Arnie too ‘invincible’.
  • Adding to the above point, I don’t buy Billy’s demise and for me, he’s the character who had shown the best skill and tactics to pull off what Arnie did. Bring him into the final showdown and help Arnie do his Kevin McCallister shit to the jungle and then have him killed. It gives a little more of a sense that this Predator is a fucking killing machine and stops you losing 5 of the team within about 45 seconds of each other.
  • Oh, and Predator once the helmets been removed?! Did he just have a manicure that he was waiting to dry?! What was with the pussy assed slaps. He could have removed Arnie’s innards with on blink and everyone knows it. That was the perfect opportunity to kill Billy (or your chosen commando).
  • I find the score by Adam Silvestri too distracting. It’s overly similar to his Back to the Future score and, for me, it didn’t fit the film.
  • I genuinely don’t know how I feel about the introduction of the female Guerrilla operative just before the halfway mark. While her actions set in motion a lot of the plot for the second half and there’s the argument that her being female is what stops them killing her, I’m not sure that it’s still not lip service casting or if I’m seeing snowflakes.

Final Thoughts

Not the masterpiece I remember it being, but then again I’d misremembered it as being set in Vietnam, so perhaps I shouldn’t hold the film to account.

A bloody, gory, war movie with an extra terrestrial playmate.

Ghostbusters (1984)

Rating PG

Length 1Hr 45

Release 7.12.1984

About After the members of a team of scientists (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray) lose their cushy positions at a university in New York City, they decide to become “ghostbusters” to wage a high-tech battle with the supernatural for money. They stumble upon a gateway to another dimension, a doorway that will release evil upon the city. The Ghostbusters must now save New York from complete destruction.

First Thoughts

I wanted to be a Ghostbuster. I loved this movie as a kid and I have a very distinct memory of putting it on one Saturday afternoon after a shopping trip in which I bought foam shrimp. I also remember begging for Ghostbusters crisps and them not being in the bags when we got home and being very upset.

Harold Ramis’ Egon was my guy. He kept a level voice and didn’t shout like the other two.

Treat

  • Bill Murray is the star of this film. Yes, it’s an ensemble but he steals every scene he’s in. Everything about the character screams you should hate him, but he’s rather charming and adds an odd sense of dry and sardonic normalcy to the childlike eccentricity of Ray and Egon. He’s set up as a bit of a Shatner (Womaniser), but having him deny Zuul/Dana shows his true persona.
  • It’s a celebration of the geek, without having to put anyone else down. It’s not at the expense of others and it’s science doesn’t alienate the audience. I feel almost as if this is what TV’s Big Bang Theory wanted to be, but couldn’t get past the cheap jokes that put people down.
  • The effects are relatively good for a retrospective viewing. Certainly everything from the opening sequence works, including the ghost itself. It’s tone is still still that of unsettling fear and that’s largely to do with the physical effects and the supporting music.
  • Sigourney Weaver’s Dana Barrett is fucking awesome: she’s a thirty-something living alone in New York, without a complex. She’s a brilliant career, a nice apartment and no time for Venkman’s bullshit. Weaver seems to have fun breaking away from her genderless Alien persona to give us a more feminine and light hearted character.
  • It’s an interesting narrative that is built up in layers and doesn’t give us too many showcase scenes. By the final act you realise it’s all interconnected and brings you to a showdown with Gozer; a casual name drop from the first act.

Trick

  • I fucking hate Louis. There’s annoying and then there’s this cretin who stole his wardrobe from Jimmy Saville. I normally love any role played by Rick Moranis, but this takes his whine up to 11 and I just wish he’d died when the Terror Dogs go all American Werewolf in his ass.
  • Behind the scenes I find it a bit shitty that Winston’s screen time was reduced because Eddie Murphy reportedly turned down the part. Ernie Hudson’s Winston provides a balance, much in the same way Venkman does and I’d have been thankful for that appearing sooner. The added bonus being that he would be given time to develop the character.
  • The only effects that present a problem are the Terror Dogs. It’s not so much that they look bad, it’s that there’s a very clear distinction between the animatronic and the animated versions. Some have suggested this is to do with a change in the lighting on later releases that brings our attention to it and I’d say that’s a fair assumption. That said, I’ll put up with those minor blips for the eerie capture of Dana in her apartment.

Final Thoughts

I still want to be a Ghostbuster and Egon is still my guy; perhaps it’s the quasi-autistic persona he displays alongside his brilliant mind and I’m so glad there’s going to be a new movie next year.

Star Trek (2009) written for Odeon in 2009

It’s Trek Jim, but thankfully not as we know it. JJ Abrams has taken over the directing helm and brought a long dead franchise back to life; all it needed was a push to the re-start button.

From the first stardate to the echoes of the final frontier there’s subtle nods to keep the hard-core Trekkies happy, enough action and comedy to keep Abrams’ fans at bay and explanations for those who’ve not explored the strange new worlds.

Star Trek’s reboot follows the prickly beginnings of Kirk and Spock’s relationship and their familiar crew on their maiden voyage upon the USS Enterprise having been thrown together fresh from Starfleet Academy to stop villainous time-travelling Romulans hell-bent on revenge.

Chris Pine moves from the Disney teen leagues and plays the rebellious charmer James Kirk down to a T; the Just My Luck star keeps the tone of Kirk while still making the role his own.

Up for filling Spock’s half Vulcan ears is Heroes’ Zachary Quinto. Not only does he wear them well, he brings to the screen a personal battle of identity as the conflicted alien of two world; enabling him to clash delightfully with the ever impulsive Kirk.

Among the remaining crew are Karl Urban, John Cho and newcomer and one to watch Anton Yalchin playing McCoy, Sulu and Checkov respectively each having their own moment to shine. It is however Simon Pegg as Scotty who provides the films gem moments between the lulls of battleship action. The sequence that transpires as a result of a transporter mishap is certainly not one to miss.

The battles and villains have had an upgrade, the clever script acknowledges the Trek universe without leaving the unconverted drowning in a sea of techno-babble and the refreshing comedy will leave all stunned.

The Queen (2006)

Rating 12

Length 1Hr 43

Release 15.9.2006

About In the wake of a national tragedy, the prime minister and royal family find themselves quietly at odds. The initial reluctance of Buckingham Palace to mourn Diana is seen by the public as a sign of cool emotional distance, but Tony Blair, perceiving a potential public-relations disaster in the making, takes it upon himself to persuade Queen Elizabeth to pay tribute to the dead princess.

The Good

  • This film is almost the best of British that didn’t get cast in Potter. Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen are worth watching this for alone; they might physically look like those wax figures you squint at to work out who they are, but they have everything else about their respective figures down to a fine art.
  • As always, James Cromwell is a wonderful addition to the cast and does what I’d imagine is a pitch perfect private-life Prince Philip. Helen McCrory does a remarkable job with Cherie Blair’s northern accent and clashing views on the monarchy.
  • The film’s approach to the events surrounding Diana’s death provide a unique film: the narrative is supported by existing newsreel coverage from the time. While tonally, I think it has issues, I must admit it is visually a perfect way to frame the film.

The Bad

  • Alex Jennings sticks out as an almost Spitting Image version of Charles. Perhaps it’s the mannerisms, or the contrast of the other’s acting styles but his performance feels more like satire.

The Ugly

  • It’s a very British film, but I’m not certain it’s for a British audience. I’m not really sure who it’s for as it is all rather neutral in its presentation of the characters and institutions. It’s a presentation of a very sterile not-quite-history and that’s perhaps the problem; it was too soon.

Final Thoughts

I don’t quite get the purpose of the film and I didn’t gain anything other than wasting away 2 hours. If you’re looking for ballsy finger pointing check out Scandal S5 Ep1.

Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

Rating PG

Length 1Hr 41

Release 3.2.2006

About After their father (Tim Robbins) is called into work, two young boys, Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and Danny (Jonah Bobo), are left in the care of their teenage sister, Lisa (Kristen Stewart), and told they must stay inside. Walter and Danny, who anticipate a boring day, are shocked when they begin playing Zathura, a space-themed board game, which they realize has mystical powers when their house is shot into space. With the help of an astronaut (Dax Shepard), the boys attempt to return home.

First Thoughts

I was in uni when this came out and I was having a bit of a tough time. I can’t remember if it was when my mum was in hospital and it had all gotten a little much or if it was to do with issues in the house (communal living, yikes), but I just needed a sanctuary. It was watching this film that I realised how I found comfort in the cinema during times of stress; it got me away from my life for a while and fully immersed all of my senses.

It was also the first time I went the cinema alone. I bloody loved the freedom, the peace (I always, ALWAYS, seem to make friends with the chatty people) and the independence.

The Good

  • It takes the winning formula of Jumanji and gives the audience a new adventure that takes a family in the midst of a divorce into space. While there is an element of plot by numbers, it does offer more to the audience than derivative narrative.
  • Dax Shepherd is brilliant as the astronaut and I only wish I saw him in more things. He was able to portray a child like innocence with skin, much in the same way Williams did in Jumanji.
  • Kristen Stewart brings some of her best acting to the screen. Yes, it’s while she’s frozen but watch Twilight and you will agree, it’s a vast improvement.

The Bad

  • It’s a rather emotionally negative movie in terms of tone and atmosphere and by that I don’t mean the void of space (which they totally ignore when they throw the flaming couch out; Science bitches! Come on!). The relationship between the two boys is really toxic and while settling blame for a parental divorce might be circumstantial and worth exploring within a film narrative, there should be a resolution that establishes that no child will be the cause of a family breakdown. Unless of course that child in Damien, and then all bets are off.
  • The Zorgons scared the crap out of me. I fast forwarded through the invasion scene as I found Danny’s fear a little overwhelming. The music certainly supported the horror factor. Strange that after nearly a month of horror movies, this was the one to break me.

The Ugly

  • Kristen Stewart offers up some of her worst acting, to the point you wish she’d stayed frozen. Her screaming and shouting is like a spike being driven through your eye and into your brain. Add to this, her pawing over Dax Shepherd and admitting she wanted to fuck him gives such Lannister vibes that you will indeed experience sick in your mouth.
  • There’s way too much shouting and whinging from the two leads. It’s space, no one should hear you scream shit heads.

Final Thoughts

It’s Jumanji, in space. There’s no getting away from that.

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Rating PG

Length 1Hr 35

Release 29.10.1993

About After moving to Salem, Mass., teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) explores an abandoned house with his sister Dani (Thora Birch) and their new friend, Allison (Vinessa Shaw). After dismissing a story Allison tells as superstitious, Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) who used to live in the house. Now, with the help of a magical cat, the kids must steal the witches’ book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal.

Treat

  • The trio of witches are perfectly cast as contrasting Sanderson Sisters. Bette Midler brings the head strong and witty head witch, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker are the silly foils to Midler’s harshness. It provides a perfect balance.
  • The film has a brilliant set up; in two scenes the film has set up the Curse, its central characters and a family new to the town who have no understanding of Salem’s witchy history.
  • Outside of the opening sequence, it all takes place on All Hallows’ Eve making it a smooth Disney narrative that easily becomes a comfort watch over the years and is up there with The Goonies for nostalgia rewatches that prompt discussion (whether that be in person or online). It’s a true good versus evil and it allows the kids to triumph on their own.
  • It’s a family film, but there are the jokes and comments for the parental benefit that go over little one’s heads.
  • Billy, played wonderfully by Doug Jones, is a carefully placed character that really pays off in the final act. I truly love his ‘go to hell’ moment.
  • This is one film that handles the defeat fake out really well. I always remember the first time watching it and knowing something wasn’t quite right. It had me on edge knowing there was more to the movie.

Trick

  • How has it not gotten a sequel?! Not a reboot. Bette Midler rocked the Winnie for Halloween a few years ago and no one is taking that role from her any time soon. I know there’s a book written that could easily be adapted so Disney, what are you waiting for?

Final Thoughts

A film that put a spell on me the first time I saw it and is one I’ll watch any time it’s on.