188) Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) - NEW TO HORROR

"Kong can't stop this on his own."

Director
Adam Wingard

Cast
Rebecca Hall - Dr. Ilene Andrews
Brian Tyree Henry - Bernie Hayes
Dan Stevens - Trapper
Kaylee Hottle - Jia
Alex Ferns - Mikael
Fala Chen - Iwi Queen
Rachel House - Hampton

🦎Some minor spoilers ahead 🐵

I really regret seeing "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," currently playing in theaters, before 2023's "Godzilla Minus One" from Japan. I haven't heard anything bad about the latter. And I'm very anxious to see it.
"Godzilla x Kong" is a sequel to the 2021 film "Godzilla vs. Kong" which is a sequel to "Kong: Skull Island" (2017) and "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" (2019). This is the fourth movie in what's being called the "MosterVerse" which starts with the 2014 film "Godzilla." 

It's also the 37th Godzilla film ever. 

I can't write about another Godzilla flick without mentioning my reviews of the first 15 Godzilla flicks which I sat through, one by one, back around Halloween of 2022. That was fun, and I plan to review the next movies during some future Halloween. 

I did enjoy watching the previous "Godzilla vs. Kong." So much so that I completely forgot all the characters who return in this new movie. In my review of "Godzilla vs. Kong" which I wrote for a local paper, I called it a "fight worth waiting for." 

This new movie takes place three years after the events of the previous movie. 

Kong has established himself quite comfortably in Hollow Earth, which is where scientists put Kong in the last movie. But even giant apes get lonely, especially when there's a lack of a female presence. 

Up on the Earth's surface, Godzilla is still boss keeping an eye on humanity, and making sure no new titans are coming around to cause trouble. 

After defeating Scylla in Rome back in the first movie, Godzilla has turned the Coliseum in Rome into his own personal bunk bed. 

Observers at Monarch, the organization that kept Kong in the last movie, are keeping an eye on him. They realize they have to bring Kong up to the surface of Earth because he has an infected tooth. Thankfully, Monarch has a dentist on hand who specializes in big gorillas. Trapper (Dan Stevens) manages to sedate Kong, pull out his infected tooth, and replace it with an artificial one. 

They've also picked up an unusual signal from Hollow Earth. 

Up on Earth, Jia (Kaylee Hottle) the last survivor of the Iwi tribe from Skull Island, is also mentally picking up on this signal. It's causing her to have hallucinations.
Her adopted mother, Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) is concerned, naturally. 

And guess who else is catching this signal. Godzilla! 

This leads him to go attack a nuclear power plant over in France and absorb all the nuclear energy in preparation for an upcoming fight. 

I had no idea why he took any interest in everything that comes next, but my guess is he's protecting humanity from any threat brought about by another titan or titans. 

From there, Godzilla makes a B-line for the secret lair of Tiamat, another monster titan, up in the Arctic. 

These two monsters fight with Godzilla winning effortlessly of course. He steals Tiamat's radiation supply which continues to give him a generous surplus of power.  

The brainiacs at Monarch think Godzilla is preparing as much as he can for a major fight. 

Kong, meanwhile, finds a sinkhole which takes him to an unchartered portion of Hollow Earth where other giant apes have survived. 

A little giant ape named Suko finds Kong and alerts other giant apes. These apes don't take kindly to him. 

After Kong beats up the other apes, he forces Suko to take him to the whereabouts of more giant apes. 

Suko takes Kong to a secret liar were other apes serve a tyrant leader known as Skar King. 

He sees Kong as a threat and fights him with a crystal that controls an ice breathing monster lizard called Shimo. 

As Kong and Shimo duke it out, Shimo gives Kong frost bite on his arm after breathing on it. 

Ilene Andrews gets the help of podcaster and conspiracy theorist, Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) because he was in the last movie and has to be in this movie, too. 

Together with Kong's dentist, they all travel into Hollow Earth. Down there, they discover hieroglyphics telling the tale of how Skar King once attempted to ascend to our part of the Earth, conquer it, and battle Godzilla and his species. Godzilla defeated him and kicked him back to Hollow Earth. 

These carvings also indicate how Jia and the Iwi tribe will one day awaken Mothra. So, there's that exposition of what's to come later in the movie. 

The explorers find members of the lost Iwi tribe who help Jia awaken Mothra. 

Kong manages to ascend back to the Earth's surface, emerging in Cairo, Egypt. He calls out for Godzilla for help, but Godzilla is anything but thrilled to see him. He attacks Kong despite Kong's efforts to talk and explain the situation. I mean, that's basically what happens. 

Thankfully, Jia and Mothra arrive and manage to explain things to Godzilla who relents and agrees to help Kong in his own Godzilla way. 

They all head back to Hollow Earth to take on Skar King and Shimo. The name 'Shimo' sounds like one of the three stooges, or the 6th Marx Brother. 

Anyways, they all fight down there and eventually drag their fight to Rio De Janeiro. This is Skar King's chance to conquer the Earth and take down Godzilla and Kong.

Unlike the previous movie, Godzilla and King Kong don't really fight each other. They do have a little scuffle in the middle of Cairo. Otherwise, it's all about getting Godzilla on board to fight a battle for a purpose which he has absolutely no role in or use for. Still, he's completely gung-ho for this fight on Kong's behalf.

Mothra's presence is a welcomed plot point for me. Her presence gives the movie that giant monsters all-out attack atmosphere. It's giant ape and lizard against...another giant ape and lizard. 

With all this check-your-brain-at-the-door cheesiness, the movie still manages to have all the Godzilla movie feels. For instance, the dentist/ scientist just happens to have an artificial giant ape tooth on hand once he extracts Kong's bum tooth. 

Later, when Kong's arm is frostbitten, the scientists happen to have a left-over robotic exoskeleton arm brace that just happens to be there in Hollow Earth right when it's needed. And it happens to have all the green glowing stuff necessary to heal Kong's arm. 

Again, check your brain at the door. 

It's the monsters versus monsters, and the Godzilla movie feels I enjoyed the most. That's what audiences want in a Godzilla movie. So, it had what I came for which is always worth the price of a matinee ticket and bucket of popcorn. 

Some Godzilla films have the King of the Monsters being the good guy. Others have him as a bad guy. He's a good guy in this one. 

After recently watching "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" which has a scene where a beach freezes over, I was treated yet again to another scene of a beach freezing over in "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire." Purely coincidental, I think. 

Otherwise, the characters and story in "Godzilla x Kong" are forgettable. And the primitive giant apes carry one with a sudden intellect that wasn't there before is lame. It's all about those monster feels, and not much more. 

After watching this movie, I am all the more anxious to see "Godzilla Minus One."

We've come a long way since the first fight back in '62...

187) House of Usher (1960)

"For hundreds of years, foul thoughts and deeds have been committed within these halls."

Director

Roger Corman

Cast

Vincent Price - Roderick Usher

Mark Damon - Philip Winthrop

Myrna Fahey - Madeline Usher

Harry Ellerbe - Bristol

Roger Corman, "The King of the Cult Film" and "The Pope of Pop Cinema," has a string of period movies based on the macabre works of Edgar Allen Poe.

The first is "House of Usher" (1960) based on Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." It's followed by "The Pit and the Pendulum" (1961), "Premature Burial" (1962), "Tales of Terror" (1962), "The Raven" (1963), "The Haunted Palace" (1963), "Masque of the Red Death" (1964), and "The Tomb of Ligeia" (1964). All of these films except "Premature Burial" stars horror icon Vincent Price. 

It's worth mentioning that there's a few odd balls in this mix. To begin with "The Haunted Palace" is actually based on H.P. Lovecraft's novella, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward." The title belongs to Poe. 

The 1968 British horror film, "The Witchfinder General," directed by Michael Reeves and starring Vincent Price, is based on Ronald Bassett's 1966 novel. When it was released in the U.S. by American International Pictures, it was retitled "The Conqueror Worm" in order to connect it to Corman's Poe films. 

Also, Corman's 1963 movie "The Terror" staring Boris Karloff and a very young Jack Nicholson tends to be linked to his Poe films though it's not based on anything Poe has written. Corman himself explains the reason why this is so. In his memoirs, he says, "I was getting so familiar with the standard elements of Poe's material – or at least our adaptations – that I tried to out-Poe himself and create a Gothic tale from scratch." (Corman, 88). 

So, now I'm on another cinematic horror mission like my watching all the "Psycho" movies. I want to get through all these Poe films in chronological order. The challenge is finding them all. I've had them on my radar for a few years. And I happened to find a copy of "House of Usher" at the library. I'll likely include the oddball films as well because, why not. When I go for something, I want to go all in.

In this movie, Mark Damon plays Philip Winthrop who arrives unannounced to the isolated Usher mansion. He's there to visit his fiancé Madeline (Myrna Fahey). But her disappointed older brother Roderick (Vincent Price) doesn't great him very warmly. In fact, he doesn't want Philip there at all and would prefer he leave Madeline altogether. 

Vincent Price and Myrna Fahey in "House of Usher."

"For hundreds of years, foul thoughts and deeds have been committed within these halls," he tells Philip.

So, naturally Philip and Roderick take a disliking to each other. 

Philip's efforts are focused on trying to take Madeline away from the dreary and foreboding walls of the House of Usher. 

Despite Roderick's protests against the two marrying, Philip intends to marry her despite him. 

Roderick tries to convince Philip that he and Madeline both suffer from an inherited madness that's unique to the Usher lineage. As Madeline is very sick, he tells Philip she doesn't have long to live. But Philip refuses to leave and call off his engagement.

Strange noises echo throughout the halls at odd hours. 

Philip turns to the butler, Bristol (Harry Ellerbe), about these noises. He tells Philip that they're the result of a fissure that has existed in walls for decades. 

As the days carry on, and Philip refuses to leave, strange "accidents" begin occurring around him. He's almost killed as a result of some of these strange accidents. 

One of these accidents happen when Madeline is showing him the family crypt underneath the mansion. 

He's almost hit by a flying coffin, which causes Madeline to faint. 

Later, Philip goes to check on Madeline who has been resting in her room after fainting, and finds her sprawled across the bed, seemingly dead of a heart attack.

Roderick quickly has her placed in a coffin to be buried in a plot reserved for her in the family crypt. He wants her to be immediately buried. 

The following morning, Bristol tells Philip that Madeline used to have cataleptic fits. This means she's buried alive. He goes straight to Roderick about. And he admits to it. 

Roderick claims he allowed her to be buried out of love of his sister, and to ensure the tainted Usher blood won't spread to future generations. When he tries to go save her, Roderick assures him that by this time, she's surely dead. 

That night, Philip sneaks to the crypt only to find a trail of blood along the floor leading to a hidden passage. 

Madeline somehow managed to break out of her coffin and escape to somewhere inside the house. 

When Philip finds her, she has gone insane and attacks him. 

He gets the upper hand and tries to shake her back to some level of sanity. 

But she runs off to find her brother. 

Myrna Fahey and Mark Damon.

A violent storm erupts outside, causing the fissures to start splitting the house. 

Philip watches in helpless horror as Madeline attacks Roderick while the house crumbles to pieces. There's nothing Philip can do but watch as beams fall and kill Roderick and Madeline instantly.

Bristol finds Philip and drags him to safety outside before running back into the house which has now caught fire. 

Within minutes, the house burns and sinks into the ground until it's no more. 

Poe has some sort of interest in premature burial. His other stories "Premature Burial," "Berenice," "Black Cat," and "The Cask of Amontillado" have situations in which someone is buried alive. 

In this movie, the audience witnesses the scenario of being buried alive affect those around the victim. 

Everything from the atmosphere, mood, artwork, music direction and acting, especially from Price, fit so well together in this spectacle of a horror film. 

I don't like to quote other critics often, but "Variety" stated it best at the time when it wrote, "In having taken several liberties with the original, the release may aggravate Poe purists and scholars, but the shrewd alterations, since they pursue a romantic course, should prove popular with the bulk of modern audiences. It is a film that should attract mature tastes as well as those who come to cinema for sheer thrills." 

I have a soft spot for period horror pieces like "House of Usher." 

As Corman is known for producing low-budget movies, "House of Usher" doesn't feel like a low-budget picture. It's quite a spectacle despite having a small handful of performers, one being the legendary Vincent Price. 

In fact, it has a solid script, great performances from respectable actors, and a shooting schedule that took several weeks. 

This is such a lavish and well assembled movie. It reminds me a bit of the Hammer Horror productions such as the 1958 film "Dracula" starring Christopher Lee. 

Corman keeps the film truly rich and ornate yet simple with just four actors in the cast. Though he's resourceful, Corman takes everything he can get out of what he has. Every last little drop! 

And Vincent Price, as always, gives everything in his masterful performance. Price never seems to hold back in his films. "House of Usher" is certainly no exception. I love watching him as he delivers each line so meticulously and carefully, ensuring that his deliverance properly fits and supports the scene and the mood. 

Corman's film maintains a steady pace that doesn't drag nor speed up. There's no dull moment. 

It grows more and more suspenseful as trepidation slowly climbs until the final act. I honestly can't wait to get to the rest of Corman's Poe films. 

Death and despair fill the house. Only that which has life and hope can escape it. I can't say how close or loose the movie is compared with Poe's story. But the themes of family, madness, and isolation are certainly well maintained.

There's good reason why this movie was listed on the U.S. National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." 

186) Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024) - NEW TO HORROR

"Golden years!"

Director

Gil Kenan

Cast
Paul Rudd - Gary Grooberson
Carrie Coon - Callie Spengler
Finn Wolfhard - Trevor Spengler
Mckenna Grace - Phoebe Spengler
Kumail Nanjiani - Nadeem Razmaadi
Patton Oswalt - Dr. Hubert Wartzki
Celeste O'Connor - Lucky Domingo
Logan Kim - Podcast
Emily Alyn Lind - Melody
James Acaster - Dr. Lars Pinfield
Bill Murray - Dr. Peter Venkman
Dan Aykroyd - Dr. Ray Stantz
Ernie Hudson - Winston Zeddemore
Annie Potts - Janine Melnitz
William Atherton - Walter Peck

👻  Minor spoilers ahead!  👻

In my other blog, dontfastforward.blogspot.com, I occasionally post commentary I call "My thoughts real quick."

In these posts, I simply slap my thoughts down about movies without going into much detail about the story. I try to keep them short, but I don't always succeed. 

This post is going to be something like that. These are my quick thoughts about the newly released "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire."

It's the fourth movie in the Ghostbusters line-up. I admit that I'm a little biased since I consider myself a "Ghost-head." Even so, I have mixed feelings about this new movie.

The story pulled me in right from the beginning with the introductory back story.  

I initially anticipated a ton of call-backs and cameos. There was a little of that, but not as many as I thought there'd be. There was a lot of nods to the first and second Ghostbusters movies scattered throughout. 

The cameos are scarce outside of the original Ghostbusters along with William Atherton as Walter Peck as seen in the trailer. I had a few characters from parts one and two I was hoping to see, but maybe that's for the better. The movie doesn't then rely too much on stuff from the first two movies. It's an original story with new characters making the picture not heavily dependent on the original film.  

The story feels like an episode from "The Real Ghostbusters" cartoon and does carry a bit of the original movie's feel. The entire flow of the story seemed like something I would have seen in the animated series.

While the film is entertaining, it's full of plot points that take up too much space. I wanted to see more ghost busting, especially from the original crew.  

There's some busting, but not much. Instead, there's a lot more talking, explaining, and jumping between plot points.

The final climax is where the movie delivers the most.  

Some of the characters are rather useless, especially Finn Wolfhard's character, Trevor. But at least his character makes sense. He's a Spengler so obviously he'd be in New York City with his family. 

Celeste O'Connor's character, Lucky, is completely useless. She's Trevor's love interest in the previous movie, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife." In this movie, whatever purpose she has is completely forced. She's just there because she was in the last movie, and adds nothing at all to the movie save for filling in one extra ghostbuster jumpsuit. 

The same is goes for Logan Kim's character, Podcast. He does add a little comic relief, but he wouldn't be missed if he wasn't a part of this. 

Kumail Nanjiani's character and purpose, Nadeem Razmaadi, is clearly a play on the Gatekeeper and Keymaster from the original movie and repeated in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife." In this case, it's flipped around. He's meant to conquer the evil rather than channel it into our world. Nanjiani's comedy would fit in well as a Ghostbuster alongside Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Dan Aykroyd. 

He has just enough chemistry with the original Ghostbusters, especially with Bill Murray who reprises his role as Peter Venkman. Nanjiani and Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz) seem to be having the most fun in their roles. Everyone else for the most part seem to be acting on repeat. In other words, much of the cast could use a little more enthusiasm. 

Still, I suppose after playing the same role for the fourth time, that enthusiasm tends to fade. 

William Atherton returns as Walter Peck from the original, though now in a new political capacity. His concerns about 15-year-old Phoebe carrying a proton pack and catching ghosts are legit, but his animosity towards the Ghostbusters now seems unwarranted. It's as though he still holds a grudge because of how he was treated nearly 40 years ago. With the events of "Ghostbusters" and "Ghostbusters 2" referenced in this new movie, it doesn't make sense that he still thinks they're frauds. But he's an antagonist and those antagonists just keep on antagonizing.

What makes the original "Ghostbusters" movie a brilliant comedy is that the four scientists who go into business for themselves as paranormal eliminators really have no idea what they're doing. It's like a Marx Brothers movie. And, yet they figure out how to save New York City in such an outlandish way. 

The same is pretty much true here, but to a lesser degree. In this story, Winston (Ernie Hudson) as established a paranormal research center with a bigger containment unit, testing area, and the ability to observe and study ghosts. 

They can also extract paranormal entities from possessed objects. When they're up against an evil godlike entity named Garakka who's turning New York City into a frozen hellscape, all the cast (the new and the old ghostbusters) aren't sure what to do outside of shooting their proton packs at it. It's Phoebe Spengler, played wonderfully yet again by McKenna Grace, who has the tools and the talent.

I appreciate how the final act isn't long winded. Garakka doesn't show up and freeze over New York until more than half way through the movie. Then again, Gozer didn't show up in the original movie until the final act. Like the first movie, all the events buildup to the coming of Gozer.

The setup and resolution is styled really similar to the original "Ghostbusters." And it works the second time around. Instead of "Spook Central" being the conduit or portal, it's a brass orb with Garakka trapped inside. And the "Fire Master," as it's referred to in the movie, is the good guy who fights the icy monster. In that regard, this movie has the feel of a Ghostbusters movie. Or, it's just retooling those old elements that worked the first time, and hoping they can still deliver to new audiences under a different look.   

I thought the movie would start preaching about climate change and all that. Thankfully, it didn't go anywhere near that topic. I also hoped it would be a family-friendly flick, which it is. 

While "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is a tool to set the Ghostbusters back up with new content, characters, and adventures, "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" comes up with something new. 

"Afterlife" takes its time setting up a scenario and placing its elements where they need to be, "Frozen Empire" is constantly on the move with all its various subplots to keep the audience engaged despite the exposition.  

I got some much-needed laughs from the movie and walked out of the theater happy overall. Again, maybe I'm a little biased.

The movie doesn't overstay its welcome. It feels like it plays out in right amount of time. 

I think "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" deserves another view. But, as much as it pains me to say, I think it's time for the original Ghostbusters to retire. Their best days are behind them. If any new movies come about in the future, the business needs to be completely handed over to a new crew. 

185) Thanksgiving (2023)

"There will be no leftovers this year."

Director

Eli Roth 

Cast
Patrick Dempsey - Sheriff Eric Newlon
Nell Verlaque - Jessica
Addison Rae - Gaby
Jalen Thomas Brooks - Bobby
Milo Manheim - Ryan
Tomaso Sanelli - Evan
Gabriel Davenport - Scuba
Jenna Warren - Yulia
Ty Victor Olsson - Mitch Collins
Rick Hoffman - Thomas Wright
Gina Gershon - Amanda Collins

I don't know if it's me, or if there has recently been a kind of campy holiday horror movie Renaissance. By holiday, I mean all holidays. 

Titles like "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey," and "The Mean One" (a horror take on "How the Grinch Stole Christmas") have come out recently. There's has been recent talk of a horror movie called, "Mickey's Mouse Trap" now that early Mickey Mouse cartoons have become public domain. 

The 2024 turkey day horror movie, "Thanksgiving" can be counted among recent cheesy flicks. 

I can't talk about "Thanksgiving" without tossing out references to older horror movies centered around common holidays. Christmas, for instance, is constantly the theme to so many horror movies such as "Black Christmas" (1974), "Silent Night, Deadly Night" (1984), "Better Watch Out" (2017), and one of my personal favorites, "Violent Night" (2022). It's a holiday that always seems to be in need of saving. 

Christmas isn't the only victim of bad horror movies. There are so many others themed on random holidays like "New Year's Evil" 1980), "Terror Train" (1980), "April Fool's Day" (1986), "Trick or Treats" (1982), "Bloody Birthday" (1981), "Uncle Sam" (1996), "Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill!" (2006) …the list is enormous. And let's not forget all the "Leprechaun" movies since we just celebrated St. Patrick's Day. Yeah, I covered all those already. On second thought, let's definitely forget those. 

"Thanksgiving" is a movie where customs and tradition goes head-to-head greed in the form of modern consumerism. 

It's Thanksgiving in the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts. A raging, vulgar, greedy mob has gathered outside of the town's RightMart for Black Friday sales. 

Jessica Wright's (Nell Verlaque) dad, Thomas (Rick Hoffman) is the owner of RightMart. And he lets her, along with her friends, inside the store through a side door before the crowd is let in. This makes the crowd rage even more.

When the doors finally open, the fuming crowd push their way in causing multiple injuries, and the deaths of a few people. Amanda Collins (Gina Gershon),
the wife of RightMart's store manager, Mitch (Ty Victor Olsson) is one of the victims of the ruthless shoppers. 

The majority of the crowd only care about getting their discounted items before someone else. Plymouth is now tarnished by this event. 

One year later, Thomas is going to open RightMart on Thanksgiving Day for Black Friday, which sparks protests because of what happened the year before. Mitch is one of those protesting.
Jessica's old boyfriend, Bobby (Jalen Thomas Brooks), returns to Plymouth which arouses some jealousy with her current boyfriend, Ryan (Milo Manheim).

Meanwhile, Lizzie, who was in that RightMart crowd the year before, and as vulgar and unruly as ever, is working as a waitress in a diner. 

As she closes for the night, an anonymous figure wearing a mask of John Carver (one of the founders of the Plymouth colony) murders her. 

Soon after, other people around Plymouth who were involved in the Black Friday riot are killed off one by one. 
Sheriff Eric Newlon (Patrick Dempsey) is putting in as much effort and manpower as he can to catch this killer who's targeting everyone involved in that Black Friday riot. 

Jessica helps as much as she can to bring this killer down. Soon, the murderer goes after those closest to her. 

The movie is full of gore and splatter, and corny one-liners such as "If we let the police handle it, we're all going to end up 50% off." And that's followed by more blood and guts! 

By the end, well... I should have seen the end coming. 

In one scene, Sheriff Newlon tells Jessica, "Be careful who you trust, because this is a matter of life and death." What a giveaway! And it went right over my head. 

The movie is pretty much formulaic. There's a sadistic masked killer out for revenge. And it's a race against the clock for police to catch him before he strikes again. 

Still, it's entertaining enough for being a good ol' fashioned slasher flick. 

Director Eli Roth has directed some popular horror titles like "Hostel," "Hostel: Part II" and "Cabin Fever." He does a decent job with "Thanksgiving." It's clear Roth is a horror fan! He knows how to make an audience cringe and cover their eyes. His talent for making gritty Friday night, creature feature horror movies is ever present in "Thanksgiving." It's a fun and unique Thanksgiving Day horror feast.

184) Ghostbusters II (1989)

"Only a Carpathian would come back to life now and choose New York! Tasty pick, bonehead!"

Director

Ivan Reitman

Cast
Bill Murray - Peter Venkman
Dan Aykroyd - Raymond Stantz
Ernie Hudson - Winston Zeddemore
Harold Ramis - Egon Spengler
Sigourney Weaver - Dana Barrett
Rick Moranis - Louis Tully
Annie Potts - Janine Melnitz
Peter MacNicol - Janosz Poha
Wilhelm von Homburg - Vigo the Carpathian
Max von Sydow - Voice of Vigo
Kurt Fuller - Jack Hardemeyer
David Margulies - Mayor Lenny Clotch

For readers honored, blessed and privileged to personally know me, they must be saying to themselves "Of course Mike would review 'Ghostbusters'." Well, I waited five years since starting this blog to finally include a Ghostbusters movie on this platform. With a fourth Ghostbusters movie just around the corner (who would've thought?) I wanted to make some comments about the second movie in the Ghostbusters line-up. 

By the way, I shared my comments on the teaser trailer for the upcoming movie "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire." And you can read my review for the last Ghostbusters movie, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," on the Junction City Union website. 

As I write this, two full trailers for the upcoming movie were released today - one domestic and one international. 

While I'm excited to see where things go in the upcoming Ghostbusters movie, my initial impression is that it seems like "Frozen Empire" will be another movie sequel that relies too heavily on call-backs to part one and maybe part two. 

Based on these two trailers, while it looks like it might be a fun movie, I get an impression that the comedy won't be terribly strong. I got a laugh at one or two lines in the trailer.  

Plus, the upcoming movie has a ton of characters to keep on top of. There's the OG Ghostbusters, some new supporting cast, and the cast from "Ghostbusters: Afterlife." 

Anyways, there have been few movies released in my lifetime where I was so eager to see them, I actually had dreams about it prior to seeing.  

"Ghostbusters 2" was one of those movies. "It: Chapter Two" was another. And, for some weird reason, "The NeverEnding Story II" was another such movie. We'll talk about that another time. 

My friends know that when it comes to the 1984 comedy, "Ghostbusters," I am a self-proclaimed "Ghost-Head." I have some nostalgic investment for the movie. 

Few movies have I seen more.

As a kid, I remember the dreadful anticipation I had when the library ghost scene approached. It took a generous portion of courage to sit through that scene. Otherwise, I would run out of the room and hide, listening for it to finish. 

Anyways, when trailers for "Ghostbusters II" were released back in '89, my seven-year-old self was bursting with anticipation. 

Of course, I loved the sequel back then. The Ghostbusters were back for something different, and I was completely on board.

Now, in my adult years, showing my own kids "Ghostbusters II," my thoughts are clearer on this sequel. 

No doubt, I'm not about to say anything that hasn't already been said. 

"Ghostbusters II" picks up five years after the Ghostbusters saved New York from an impending apocalypse that Gozer, a god of destruction, tried to unleash upon the world in part one. 

Now, despite being hailed and welcomed as heroes during the supernatural events of the first movie, the Ghostbusters have been dealing with lawsuits upon lawsuits for the destruction wrought upon New York. They've been forced out of business and are now looked down upon by the city they saved not that long ago. 

Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) make guest appearances at birthday parties. Stantz also owns an occult bookstore called "Ray's Occult." Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) works in a lab studying human emotions. And Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) hosts a local television show called "World of the Psychic." 

The film opens with Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) walking back to her apartment, pushing her baby, Oscar, in a carriage. 

She unwittingly rolls it over a small puddle of pink slime oozing from a crack in the sidewalk. That's probably not the worst thing to permeate out of a New York City sidewalk. 

Suddenly the carriage starts rolling away from her. It starts off slowly and then moves faster and faster away, while still carrying baby Oscar, as Dana chases it. It eventually stops suddenly in the middle of a busy New York City intersection. 

Dana reaches out to Ray and Egon, but not Peter after considering their relationship in part one, to investigate how the stroller seemed to roll itself at top speed right into the middle of city traffic. 

But Venkman catches wind that Ray and Egon are helping his old girlfriend and butts into their research.

The paranormal readings they take with their gadgetry at the spot where the carriage stopped are unusually high. So, Ray, Peter, and Egon take it upon themselves to start digging in the middle of the street to see what's hiding underneath. 

They discover a river of slime flowing under the streets along the route of an old, abandoned transit line. 

Of course, they're quickly arrested for this unauthorized digging but not before Ray, who's dangling by a wire underground, collects a sample of this slime. After the slime tries to pull him under, he accidentally causes a massive blackout across the entire city.  

During their court trial, in which this slime is presented as evidence, it becomes clear the mysterious viscous substance responds to human emotion. And when the judge explodes with anger at the Ghostbusters for the damage they've cause, the slime also as an explosive effect. It bubbles over until two ghosts emerge whom the judge recognizes as the Scoleri brothers - two murderers the judge sentenced to death by electrocution. 

The ghosts attack the courtroom until the Ghostbusters put their proton packs back on and save the day.... or save justice...or, I don't know. They catch the ghosts and that somehow brings them back to legitimacy throughout New York. 

They investigate the psycho-reactive slime (slime that reacts to human behavior) that has been collecting and pooling underneath the city. And it all happens to flow straight underneath the art museum where Dana works.

The art museum has a painting of a 16th-century European madman named Vigo the Carpathian which Dana swears has been coming to life. That's because it has been coming to life thanks to the slime underneath the museum. 

Vigo's spirit begins inhabiting the painting and takes possession of the museum's department head and Dana's boss, Janosz Poha (Peter MacNicol). Vigo demands Janosz to find him a baby that his soul can inhabit so he can live once again and rule the world. 

As Janosz has a crush on Dana, he chooses her baby as a vessel for Vigo's soul to inhabit and take over. The Ghostbusters of course aren't going to let that happen. 

Wilhelm von Homburg as Vigo the Carpathian.

Since the first "Ghostbusters" is a comedy best summarized as lighting in a bottle, part two really tries to recreate that, but doesn't quite accomplish what the first movie did. 

It's different but the same. 

While the story line and the final big bad ghost are different, the general plot is the same as the first. A supernatural source causes a buildup of supernatural phenomenon throughout New York enough to keep the Ghostbusters busy until in culminates to one ultimate spooky showdown with a big bad ghost who wants to rule the world.  

As the first film takes the center of the story to the top of a New York City high rise, the sequel takes the center under the streets of New York.  

As a comedy, the first movie is true lightning-in-a- bottle. Its premise is a classic comedy scenario involving four comedians trying to do something outlandish - capture ghosts. "Ghostbusters" sits proudly with other paranormal comedies like the Abbott and Costello film "Hold That Ghost" as well their "Meet the Monsters" movies. The 1940 horror comedy, "The Ghost Breakers" starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard deserves a nod here. By the way, Hope and Goddard previously appeared together in the 1939 horror comedy "The Cat and the Canary." 

"Ghostbusters II" manages to be liked by fans well enough, though its comedy tries hard to be the lightning -in-a-bottle comedy the first is. 

It doesn't quite work as well as before. But that's not to say the entire sequel is terrible. It has some hilarious moments and memorable scenes.  

My main complaint about the movie is where the story picks up after the events of part one and what's become of the Ghostbusters since. It doesn't make sense that after all the Ghostbusters did for New York City just five years earlier in front of multiple eyewitnesses, they'd be forgotten and despised as frauds. However, I can believe five years later they'd be dealing with lawsuits and court appearances for the destruction and everything that happened in part one. That's how the movie should have started -with the court scene that's already in the movie. And instead of being completely disbanded as Ghostbusters, their organization should still exist to some degree. Also, part two takes some inspiration from the animated cartoon "The Real Ghostbusters." It's clearly done just for marketing purposes. It's distracting and unnecessary. The cartoon is the cartoon. The movie is the movie. 

"Ghostbusters II" is entertaining enough but it needs some more solid thought behind it. It tries to be too much while not being enough. 

Trivia: 

In my "Psycho IV" post, I included the following trivia question:

"The Sixth Sense" (1999) is the second movie in which Bruce Willis is paired with a character named Cole who sees dead people. What is the other film? 

Answer: 12 Monkeys. 

183) Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990) - The Psycho Series Concluded

"I'm free."

Director 

Mick Garris

Cast
Anthony Perkins - Norman Bates

Henry Thomas - Young Norman Bates
Olivia Hussey - Norma Bates

CCH Pounder - Fran Ambrose
Warren Frost - Dr. Leo Richmond
Donna Mitchell - Connie Bates
Thomas Schuster - Chet Rudolph
Sharen Camille - Holly

The "Beginning" marks the end.

After the underwhelming and pointless bore-fest that is the 1987 made-for-TV movie, "Bates Motel," Hollywood writers gave that movie a symbolic middle finger. Why? Well, "Bates Motel" retcons "Psycho II & III" and tells a tale without Norman Bates. He's an afterthought.

So, Anthony Perkins along with these writers made their own made-for-TV "Psycho" installment that completely ignores "Bates Motel." 

The movie is called "the beginning" while it ends the film series. 

In this movie, radio talk show host Fran Ambrose (CCH Pounder) along with her guest host Dr. Leo Richmond (Warren Frost) hosts a show covering the topic of matricide.

At his home, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) happens to hear the show and decides to call in under the pseudonym "Ed." 

If anyone knows about matricide, it's Norman Bates. He opens up to Ambrose and Richmond, telling them about his childhood upbringing and his relationship with his mother, Norma Bates (Olivia Hussey). He breaks down the control she had over him.
Henry Thomas plays teenage Norman, who's story is told through flashbacks. 

He starts with discussing his murdering of a girl named Holly (Sharen Camille) who checked into the Bates Motel when Bates as a teen, and then tried to seduce him sex. 

The narrative jumps around as Bates discusses the death of his father, and the mental abuse Norma, who suffers from schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder, inflicts on Norman. In some situations, their mother and son relationship leans a little too close to incestuous.  

At one point, Norma becomes engaged to a guy named Chet Rudolph (Thomas Schuster). He bullies Norman at times which amuses Norma. 

In another moment, Norma forces her son to wear a dress and paint his lips in an attempt to emasculate and humiliate him as a form of punishment. She forces him to look at himself in a mirror while berating him. Norma even suggests she should have aborted him. Some of this abuse stems from Norma's frustration that business at the motel is dwindling, especially after a highway is built nearby. 

Henry Thomas and Olivia Hussey as Norman and Norma Bates in "Psycho IV: The Beginning."

Her mental abuse becomes intense, leading to her domination over him. Finally, having had enough and driven mad with jealousy and anger, Norman poisons Chet and Norma's iced tea after he sees the two of them in bed. 

Once they're both dead, he disposes of Chet's body and preserves his mother's remains. 

Norman then begins to develop a split personality, dressing and speaking like his mother in order to cover up the guilt he has for murdering her.  

As Norman talks to Ambrose, Dr. Richmond begins to suspect that "Ed" is actually Norman Bates. But Ambrose doesn't want "Ed" to know whom they suspect he really is lest they lose him. 

Norman reveals on air that he's planning on killing his wife, Connie (Donna Mitchell), that very night. Connie is pregnant and Norman doesn't want to bring another Bates into the world lest his offspring has the same mental issues and split personality he and his mother have. 

Now, Ambrose is left trying to dissuade Bates from carrying out another murder. 

It all ends in "Psycho: The Beginning." Or at least it should. A near shot-for-shot remake of "Psycho" came out in 1998. 

And the TV series "Bates Motel" ran for five seasons from 2013 to 2017. 

As a movie that gives insight into Norman Bates's early life, his relationship with his mother, and moves the franchise along smoothly to a welcoming and much needed conclusion, "Psycho IV" isn't a bad story. By calling into a radio station, it's Norman's way of confessing his dark crimes to the world. 

In fact, exploring the disturbing relationship between Norman and his mother makes this movie the darkest, most twisted and psychotic movie of the series. 

Henry Thomas nails the role of young Norman amazingly and impressively well. He presents the same level of vulnerability and inner chaotic turmoil that matches Anthony Perkins's portrayal of Bates.  

Perkins, by the way, hasn't missed a beat since playing Bates in the first movie. He's just as disturbing and intense as he is in Hitchcock's original picture. He sadly died two years after the release of "Psycho IV." 

We've seen everything we've needed to see. Anything after "Psycho IV" can only be a greedy cash grab, whether it's a TV series, or remake, or a continuation. So far, there have been no continuations. 

There's nowhere left to go but back to the original horror masterpiece from Alfred Hitchcock. "The Beginning" is a careful and respectful end that started with Hitchcock's masterful horror thriller. 

Trivia: I stopped including trivia questions in my posts, but I'm including one now. 

"The Sixth Sense" (1999) is the second movie in which Bruce Willis is paired with a character named Cole who sees dead people. What is the other film? 

Stay tuned for the answer in my next post... 

182) Bates Motel (1987) - The Psycho Series Continued

"I think with a little luck, we're gonna do okay here. I think Norman would have liked that."

Director
Richard Rothstein

Cast
Bud Cort - Alex West
Lori Petty - Willie
Moses Gunn - Henry Watson
Gregg Henry - Tom Fuller
Khrystyne Haje - Sally
Jason Bateman - Tony Scotti
Kerrie Keane - Barbara Peters
Robert Picardo - Dr. Goodman
Lee de Broux - Sheriff
Kurt Paul - Norman Bates

As I watched the made-for-TV movie "Bates Motel," which is an offshoot of Hitchcock's "Psycho," I sat waiting for something to happen. Spoiler - nothing happens! So, it's a completely unnecessary installment in the Psycho series. And, really, that's all anyone needs to know about this movie. But if readers want to see what else I have to say, please continue reading. Otherwise, I won't be upset if anyone stops here.

If 1980s Hallmark got a hold of the franchise rights and made a Psycho movie, this would be it. 

It's a direct sequel to Hitchcock's "Psycho." So, it ignores everything that happens in "Psycho II" and "Psycho III." The worst part about it is that it doesn't even center on Norman Bates at all. Bates, played very briefly by Kurt Paul, only appears in the beginning of the movie. 

The film starts with Bates leaving the courthouse and heading off to the asylum after the Marion Crane murder from the first movie. There, he befriends a young boy named Alex West (Bud Cort) who's mentally disturbed and was admitted into the asylum for killing his abusive stepfather.

Bates acts a sort of father figure for West. 

About twenty-years later, Bates dies and leaves West his motel. 

When he's released from the asylum, West heads to Fairville (which was called Fairvale in the original "Psycho") to live at the motel. 

Once he makes it to Fairville, he meets handyman Henry Watson (Moses Gunn) who drives him to the motel and tells him it's haunted. 

Inside Norman's old house overlooking the property, West runs into Willie (Lori Petty), a teenage runaway who is squatting inside the house. 

As the motel is rundown, West manages to obtain a bank loan from the bank loan agent Tom Fuller (Gregg Henry) for renovations. He then convinces Watson to get a work crew together.

The process is hindered by weird accidents and chatter about alleged hauntings. 

The remains of Norman's mother are discovered, as well as his father. 

Interestingly enough, when Mrs. Bates's bones are found, the sheriff (Lee de Broux) says that her remains

Lori Petty and Bud Cort in "Bates Motel."

 had never been found until now. The writers must have missed the plot point in "Psycho" where Mrs. Bates's remains were hidden in the basement and found when Norman was arrested. 

Also, during the renovation process, West keeps seeing Mrs. Bates's shadow in her bedroom window. 

When looking out of the bedroom window, he sees the dead body of Mr. Bates with a knife in his chest, laying underneath the motel sign. 

Finally, the motel renovations are finished. The rooms are new and improved, and West has a small restaurant built on the property. 

On opening day of the new Bates Motel, guests just aren't pouring in. In fact, no one shows up. 

West tells Willie that his first loan payment of $10,000 is due the next day. 

Just then, a guest finally pulls in. Barbara Peters (Kerrie Keane) books a room for the night. 

Unbeknownst to West, she's planning on committing suicide because she's middle aged and hasn't yet found love. 

This is when the movie takes a turn away from all that's going on. The story shifts focus onto Barbara. 

A large group of teenagers, who are dressed like it's the 1950s, arrive at the motel after their prom. The movie doesn't address their dated appearance. But it stands out as the movie takes place in current time. 

While Barbara is sitting in the bathtub contemplating suicide, one of the teens named Sally (Khrystyne Haje) accidentally enters her room thinking it's her own room. 

She invites Barbara to a party the kids are holding at the motel. Even West is there handing out punch for everyone. 

Barbara goes, and Sally introduces her to another teen named Tony (Jason Bateman who's shy and lonely. 

Despite the age difference, Tony asks her to dance. While dancing, he tells her how pretty she is and then the two almost kiss. 

Barbara catches herself and tells Tony that he's just a kid and getting romantic with him isn't right. 

When she goes back to her room, Sally comes in and knows Barbara wants to kill herself. 

It turns out Barbara's real name is also Sally, and the young Sally actually killed herself 25 years ago. So, Sally is a ghost as are all the other kids she came with. They all committed suicide. 

Sally and the rest of the kids tell her that the afterlife for suicides is awful, and life is worth living. Then Sally and the rest of the teenage ghosts drive off. 

Barbara leaves the next day, a lot more chipper than when she arrived. 

Meanwhile, it turns out that Tom the loan officer is behind the alleged hauntings and unreasonable terms of repayment in an attempt to hinder West's plans in order to gain access to the prime real estate that the motel sits on. 

And spoiler. That's the end!

The story builds up to nothing as the Bates Motel is remodeled. And it's not even the slightest bit terrifying. It's not even adorably spooky. I've seen scarier haunted attractions at neighborhood carnivals. 

Norman is the only terrifying aspect of the whole franchise. If he's gone, what's left? According to this movie, there isn't anything left except some urban ghost stories surrounding the motel darkened by the Bates murders. 

West fixes it up, and it all ends on a promising note. I missed the point of the movie, unless the promising future of the Bates Motel was the point. 

As if the movie finally catches on that there's nothing happening, the story's final act focuses completely off West and onto Barbara with an out-of-place ghost story and suicide prevention message, starring a young Jason Bateman. I don't know if this is supposed to correct the evil wrongs that occurred at the motel. Seeing as how Barbara stays in room 12 rather than room one as Marion did in the original, I doubt it. And these dead teenagers aren't victims of Norman Bates. Rather. they killed themselves. They have nothing to do with the motel nor the original plot. Plus, West can see them, and hands out punch at their party. So, did they all arrive to help Barbara? Or, did they show up and happen to find Barbara about to make the same mistake they did, and decide to help? Who knows?

All throughout the movie, Bud Cort keeps a look on his face like he's a wide-eyed innocent young kid witnessing reality for the first time. He carries no other emotion except bewilderment throughout the whole movie. 

This is a completely underwhelming and totally unnecessary film. It's almost amazing how underwhelming this movie is. They couldn't call it "Psycho" because the actual psycho - Norman Bates - is dead. So, the movie has to be about the actual motel instead. So, what about the motel? Is it haunted? If it is, who's doing the haunting? Well, the motel gets a renovation which adds some new life to it. And then some random lady is saved from suicide by some random ghosts. Neither of them have anything to do with the motel. Is the motel now a conduit for the paranormal? I don't know. Who even cares? 

Hardly anything worth watching actually happens, and it all concludes with a couple characters in rubber Halloween masks, only to reveal themselves like the resolution of a Scooby-Doo cartoon. 

After Barbara's unrelated story is resolved, Alex West boyishly stares into the camera, breaking the fourth wall, and tells the television audience, "We're gonna do okay here. I think Norman would have liked that."

Thankfully, the next movie, "Psycho IV: The Beginning" will do the only thing anyone can do - completely ignore "Bates Motel."