Teen Movie Critic -V is a Dream Machine Site The Dream Machine --- The Imagination of the World Wide Web

Monday: Halloween 2 (2009)

"...captures terror perfectly

Buy this poster at

The story takes off right from where the first left off. Michael Myers has been shot by his sister Laurie and now is searching to find her again for unknown and mixed reasons. The story itself is not fresh, as there have been many sequels to the original, but Zombie has his own touch he puts into his films. In a Rob Zombie film, story does not matter very much.

Every Rob Zombie film that has been released, or ever will be released, has his wife Sheri Moon Zombie involved. She plays Michael Myers' mother, in this sequel to the remake she is an hallucination, like a ghost, who appears to Michael and Laurie. This is the only thing that dropped the grade from 4.5 stars to 4 stars. It is just a lame excuse to bring Sheri into the film and went over the line. Otherwise, she did a great job once again, by bringing something new to everything she does. Scout Taylor-Compton, who plays Laurie Strode, gives a great performance as well. She shows the wild and tough side of the character that we did not get to see in the previous films, while still being vulnerable and scared. Not only does Scout have the perfect look for her role, she delivers it perfectly.

In the previous Halloween film, the sets were very closed off and small. in Halloween 2, the sets are much larger and more complex. Each scene was executed just right with the realistic blood and human body props. Rob Zombie never disappoints in the visuals category of his films.

Overall. Halloween ll is something that I have been waiting for as a fan for a long time. Unlike the first film, it does not even have one sex scene. Some fans will be excited to hear that, some will be disappointed, but there is only one or two nudity shots in the entire film. This movie concentrates on the relationship between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode and how no matter what they do, they will always be pulled back together. I am very proud of Rob Zombie for making such a great film. My mind did not wonder once in the film. The writing is good and is able to capture terror perfectly. The look Michael Myers has and the way it is shot, shows Michael Myers in a way he has never been shown before. If any of the Halloween flicks are to scare viewers, it is this one. As Rob Zombie's last stab at a Halloween flick, he did a wonderful job.

Next movie: The Final Destination

My Rating =

Wednesday: The Final Destination

"...pure entertainment...3D BIG in this one...

Buy this poster at

Anybody who has heard of Final Destination already knows the story. It is about one teenager who has a premonition, who in this film sees a race car crash and takes his friends from the scene. Everybody in the arena is dead with only a group of teenagers remaining who should not have lived. Death has now come to kill each one of them in the order in which they were meant to die in a way people would call a freak accident. The story is interesting for the first film, but it got stale once the second one was released. This film is not meant for people to focus on the story.

In any movie such as this, I never concentrate on the acting. Do not expect to see an oscar-winning performance in this film. Most of the performances were cliché and have been seen in all the other Final Destination movies. The best performance in this film was from the lead, Bobby Campo. The rest of the cast gave acting skills at a level of which you would expect from their age group.

The biggest thing that won the box office for The Final Destination is the fact that it is in 3D. There have been a lot of films being released in 3D and some people are already getting bored with the transition of 2D to 3D. This is the best film I have seen in 3D, even better than My Bloody Valentine 3D. Everything was crystal clear and every object that flies at you makes you flinch a little. In every "accident" in the film, something flies out at you. The visuals were top notch and will not let anybody down.

Overall, The Final Destination is meant to be seen in 3D. This movie is pure entertainment. It is paced very quickly, there is a lot of blood and it is very creative. Movies are running out of ways to kill people, but The Final Destination pulls out ways that nobody would ever even think of. The Final Destination is highly recommended to be seen in theaters and in 3D.

My Rating =

Friday: Halloween (2007)

Rob Zombie...takes a run at a remake.]

Buy this poster at

Rob Zombie has stated that he wishes he did not watch the original film because it went too much in his mind while making this film. He wanted it to be his own vision, not a shot for shot remake of the original. There are quite a few similarities, but still a lot of differences. Halloween did not focus on tension and fear as much as the John Carpenter classic. This showed more of the madman, Michael Myers', past and what drove him to become a psychotic killer. In ways, the beginning of the film is a prequel, but comes back to where the first one went. The story is just like any other prequel of a film, but mixed into a remake.

When casting for a horror movie remake, it can be very nerve-racking. Horror fans may be turned off by the actors who are chosen for roles. It came to no surprise that Rob's wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, was cast as Michael Myers' mother. She gave a decent performance giving something she hasn't shown to audiences before. Sheri has never played the role of a mother who truly cares for her child. For the most part, the cast was chosen correctly, but when the children that were being babysat are concerned, it was a big mistake. Luckily for him, Rob Zombie did not get too many complaints on the casting.

Any company that supports a remake, such as this, will no doubt have a big budget. Rob Zombie gives great effects with quite a few gruesome props to go along with the scenery. Michael even kills a few people and set them up on display. The way it was set up gave this movie a more serious tone. The biggest issue fans were worried about was what Michael's mask would look like. Some liked the difference, some hated it. I personally thought this mask gave more of a 21st century terror to the mask. It looks dirty, messed up, and cracked while the original's looked clean and pure white. The visuals are great and won't disappoint.

Overall, Halloween is a decent remake. It can be hard to live up to a classic that many people learned to love. Rob Zombie's vision is not copying too much from John Carpenter's. He puts in his 2 cents in and I respect that. He couldn't be sure of the reaction he would get from the audience, but it took guts to make it his own and make it as he would see this story taking place. There are a few sex scenes, which are pretty explicit on the woman's end. This is not unusual for a Rob Zombie film, though. If you are a fan of the sub-genre of slashers, then Halloween is recommended.

My Rating =

Rent

---