Horror Movies That You Should Not Watch: Prom Night

In 2008, Prom Night humiliated horror-lovers everywhere, being a disgrace to all who appreciate the genre.  Nelson McCormick clearly directed this film only to make profit by trying to alienate young teenagers who drool for this kind of "entertainment."  The story is cliché, the performances are all over the place, and setting the story in a hotel couldn't have been any more monotonous.

The film revolves around the innocent-loving Donna (Brittany Snow) who is to have one of the best nights of her life at senior prom.  She starts by having the time of her life with all of her best and closest friends.  However, an obsessed murderer from three years ago has a different plan for Donna.

To start off, you will undoubtably recognize that everything this film does to try to be "surprising" is taking everything from Silence of the Lambs, and incorporate it into this movie.  You can also say the same for Psycho, but you can argue against it.  Other than that, Snow gives such a generic, bland performance, it makes you forget about how the rest of the cast is even worse, if not awful.  The only decent performances I liked were the detectives; they were smart, diverse, and were the only people I really wanted to survive.

To cap it all off, this movie sucks, and other critics agree with me.  There is nothing redeeming, nothing creative, and as stated earlier, was only to make a profit.  It aggravates me to see all of the fake build-up that was placed for no reason but to frustrate the viewer.  This movie receives no sympathy from me, and receives a 1/4.

The Sixth Sense

Released on M. Night Shyamalan's Birthday, The Sixth Sense is often regarded as one of the best mystery and thrillers of the 1990s, and even of all time.  Bruce Willis changes from his usual "action" or "badass" routines (ex. Die Hard or Pulp Fiction) as some might say, into a more serious character, which suits him well.  I wouldn't say it's one of the best, but leaves you with a positive feeling in the end, or would it?

Willis plays doctor Malcom Crowe, a psychologist who receives an award the same night he is greeted by a disappointed former patient.  Soon after, he meets a boy named Cole (Haley Joel Osment) with similar problems as the other.  According to Cole, he sees "dead people".  Crowe spends lots of time with Cole, not seeing his wife as frequently, and Cole's mother (Toni Collette) unsure about what to do about his issues.  Crowe is his only light at the end of the tunnel.

To describe this movie is very hard.  Having little to comment on I shall be brief.  There are things that I enjoy and things I do not.  For example, Shyamalan can shoot some of the most beautiful shots, but then be incredibly over-the-top for little to no reason.  Bruce Willis is excellent in his part, and so is Osment.  My only gripe with Osment is that he seems to be very smart for a kid this age and thinks pretty deep, which seems a bit unlike a nine-year-old.  Unfortunately, Toni Collette seemed a bit shallow, but acceptable.  I would have liked another redhead like Julianne Moore in he place instead.

The story is very creative, thanks to M. Night Shyamalan's fine work on the script.  The supporting cast was not the strongest, but it is memorable nonetheless.  To me this movie is a bit mixed.  I do not think it's a perfect movie,  I don't think it's a bad movie.  I put it somewhere in the middle, but a bit above that.  This movie receives a 2.5/4, but I feel a bit guilty because it is better than what I say.  You should really see this movie - it's terrific - but it just isn't my type of movie I assume.

Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane is usually regarded as one of the best movies ever, if not the best.  Orson Welles directed, wrote, and starred in this 1941 masterpiece.  Right from the start it is one of the most intriguing movies ever, and will have you hooked less then ten minutes into the film.

Charles Foster Kane (Welles) is a millionaire tycoon who passes away, the final word he says being "rosebud."  Reporters scramble to find the meaning of what the word meant.  They talk to many people Kane knew and loved, showing flashbacks reminiscing his life.  It shows how this man went all the way up to his fame, down to how he fell off of the earth.

There isn't much to say; this movie is one of the best ever.  Whether you like it or not, it must appreciate for all it revolutionized, from out-of-sequence chronology (best example of this later on is Pulp Fiction) to its incredible shots.  The supporting cast is so wonderful, especially for many of the debuts shown (including Welles' first full-length feature film).

As I stated for It's a Wonderful Life, it's been analyzed and covered to death, so there isn't much to say.  All that's left is I love this movie, it's easily one of my favorites, and I hope it lives on for as long as film does.  It receives a perfect 4/4.

It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life is the classic Christmas film from 1946.  After spending several years fighting for World War II, Jimmy Stewart returns for what is most likely his best role he's ever performed in.  Directed by Frank Capra, it is one of the most memorable films of the 1940s, and even of all time.

The story is of a man named George Bailey, who spends his life living in Bedford Falls.  He dreams of traveling, but can't to prevent the tycoon Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) from overriding the city.  All he has to prevent that is a small building, which provides loans.  After his uncle loses $8,000, Potter hides it and warrants and arrest for George.  He assumes his family would be better off without him, so he considers suicide.  That is, until an angel named Clarence (Henry Travers) shows comes to help George.

As I said, Stewart gives one of the best performances he's ever given.  Also Barrymore plays one of the best villains ever on screen, making you want to claw his eyes out every time you see him.  The rest of the cast does an incredible job as well.

The story is a classic, Stewart is traditional Stewart, and Capra is traditional Capra.  There isn't much to say about this movie, because everyone has already summed it up already.  Sure, there are flaws, but they are so minor it's not even relevant.  Be sure to bust this film out during the holidays, as It's a Wonderful Life receives a 4/4.

Netflix Helps...Sometimes: The Tooth Fairy

Before Dwayne Johnson decided to look stupid by putting on cutesy-looking wings, there was the 2006 horror film The Tooth Fairy. Traditionally, some of the best horror films of all time consisted of a low budget, with an unusually creative story, like Psycho and Night of the Living Dead. But eventually there was a point where it got way out of hand. This, my friends, is a prime example.

The Tooth Fairy is the story of a young girl named Pamela (Nicole Munoz) and her family going on vacation. While riding her bike she meets a girl named Emma who tells her the story of the Tooth Fairy. Several years before, the Tooth Fairy has taken many other kids' teeth and tried to kill them.  Now it has returned, out to kill Pamela and all others who accompany her.

Honestly, this movie has some of the worst acting (Munoz is the most decent performance for Pete's sake!), most stupidest clichés (fake build-up), and worst idea for a story (taking children's teeth and killing them?).  There is nothing redeeming about this movie besides the fact that it is only 1 hour and 29 minutes long. It is like any other horror film that you see nowadays, so there is no use in seeing this movie.

I know this review is very unprofessional, but so is the movie.  I find no use in being fair.  This film is atrocious.  It receives an awful .5/4.  Please do yourself a favor and don't ever watch this garbage, no matter how much you are persuaded.

The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man is one of the lesser known monster/horror movies of the 1930s.  Released in 1933, it's just in the middle of Universal Studios' prime, but was vastly overlooked by other classic then, like Frankenstein.  Either way, it's an unusual classic, but it isn't very memorable either.

The film stars Claude Rains, who plays a scientist who has found the way to become invisible, but while almost finding the formula to change back, the hotel he stays at does not let him stay long enough.  He then heavily wounds one of the people working there, and soon goes on a murderous rampage.  Soon enough, he is notorious across Britain and becomes a dangerous killer, who no one can stop due to being invisible.

The Invisible Man has probably some of the worst acting in movie history, which adds to why this movie is somewhat famous.  For example, the police officer, once he sees the Invisible Man, has no legitimately "scared" reaction, which slightly takes away from the scary factor of the character.  There is also some psychotic woman who works at the hotel he stays at, and she gives one of the most scary, hysterical performances given.

Fortunately, Claude Rains gives the best performance and has a very enjoyable performance as the lead.  He is exciting, haunting, funny, and you even root for him at parts.  His friend, who eventually held as his assistant, Dr. Kemp (William Harrigan) also does very well in the supporting part.  The other main supporting parts are also solid, but very generic and you may not remember them as much.

All in all, this movie does not have much to say.  It is a very fun 71 minutes and is the perfect movie to watch at 3 o' clock in the morning.  The story is creative, and is incredibly unique for the time.  Unfortunately, it doesn't hold up as much compared to what you see today.  There are other monster movies that are done so much better, even at the time.  The film in 1933 would receive a good 2.5/4, but nowadays it just gets a 1.5/4.  Either way, despite the score, you should see this movie.  It's so bad it's great.  Also you get to see one of Claude Rains' most underrated performances before Casablanca.

To Kill a Mockingbird

One of the most faithful adaptations to literature of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird is still as legendary as ever, even 49 years later.  Gregory Peck and Mary Badham give two of the most remarkable, inspiring, and groundbreaking performances of all time, playing Atticus and Scout Finch respectively.  This movie is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Adapted from Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name, the story takes place in a depression-era 1930s, in a racially divided made-up city known as Maycomb, Alabama.  Atticus Finch is a lawyer who agrees to defend a black man, Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) for accusation of raping a white woman.  Many townspeople try to persuade Atticus not to defend Robinson, but goes along with it anyway.  Many wonder, will it end all racism in Maycomb?

There is not much to say about this movie, because it has been analyzed and covered to death by many others besides myself.  The story is very unique because it is shown in the perspective of two young kids, Jem (Phillip Alford) and mainly Scout, which is just as important as an adult.  Everything done is so perfect and puts you just in the right mood - the atmosphere, the music, the editing, the beautiful setting, and, as I said before, the acting.

The pacing of the story is very well done, too.  You are always head-over-heals in excitement.  It is disappointing to see how so much was cut out of the movie from the novel (which I slightly prefer more), as there were many memorable moments in the book that I wished were portrayed.  But it is not as important to the main story and would drastically slow down the pacing at some points, so all is forgiven.

So... What is there left to say?  This movie is one of the highest regarded films ever, and is simply perfect.  Atticus' closing speech is brilliant and sends chills down my spine ever time I watch it.  And lastly, Robert Duvall's debut performance in a movie is especially incredible, without having any lines, and is one of the performances that gets me teary-eyed, even while writing this review.  It would be a sin not to give To Kill a Mockingbird a 4/4.

Reservoir Dogs

Reservoir Dogs is the classic 1992 movie and is director Quentin Tarantino's first full-length feature film.  This movie is known for being the unofficial "prequel" of Tarantino's second film, Pulp Fiction, which is regarded as one of the best films of all time.  Sadly, many people tend to overlook this movie, which is just as exciting, too.

The story is of six strangers who are assembled by a mob boss named Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney), all given fake names, who are all called to execute a robbery from a diamond store.  It was supposed to be a 100% success, but once the police show up, things go wrong, and civilians and police officers are shot.  When the remaining plan a rendezvous at a warehouse, they discover one of the "dogs" is an undercover cop, and everyone tries to figure out who the rat is.

The film stars a personal favorite of Tarantino's Harvey Keitel, up-and-coming actor at the time Tim Roth (both of whom worked in Pulp Fiction as less major roles two years later), and Michael Madsen, but the best performance by far is the one done by Steve Buscemi.  He gives the most entertaining, serious, believable, and likable performance, and you enjoy every second of him.  The dogs end up being one of the best ensembles of any film in the 1990s.  They are all very unique, diverse, and some of them funny, too.  It is disappointing none of these actors received Oscar nominations for their roles, as these were incredible parts written by Quentin Tarantino.

The story's pacing is very well done, also.  It plays out very similar to Pulp Fiction, with the timeline not going in traditional linear fashion.  Reservoir Dogs also has picture-perfect pacing to the film; there never seems to be a scene that lasts an eternity.  Every scene is very exciting and suspenseful, and you feel sympathy for some characters and hatred for others.

Overall, Reservoir Dogs is one of the best mob movies ever made.  Sure, it's nothing compared to Pulp Fiction and is also no where near the highest caliber, but unlike most gangster movies, it is a very short, very entertaining 1 hour 39 minutes, as Pulp Fiction is two and a half hours long.  You can most likely buy it very cheap - I bought a used copy of it at a CD store for five dollars - and if unable to, it is absolutely worth a good weekend rent.  Reservoir Dogs receives a terrific 3/4.