movie reviews

Movie Review: Nightmare on Elm Street 1 vs. 2

I’ve mentioned that I’ve been going through older “classic” horror movies, seeing what might have made them so lasting and popular, and taking note for the way they each approach the genre. Some of these movies have been really impressive. Some of them have turned out to be absolute stinkers. Nightmare on Elm Street 1 and 2 really do a good job of exemplifying this. The first one was a real surprise. Directed by Wes Craven (and featuring Johnny Depp in his first film), the movie has an engaging plot that creates some real scares. We gradually learn the history

Revisiting Horror Classics

Okay. So I get that “classics” is definitely in the eye of the beholder, so maybe it’s not exactly the right word, but I’ve been on a bit of a horror binge for the last while, watching movies that I’ve never seen before. I decided to start off with the originals of long running series. I watched Scream and Friday the 13th, and I’m going to move on to A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and others. Horror films have generally been something I’ve avoided, for the simple reason that I don’t enjoy being scared. However, watching Scream was kind

Movie Review: Doctor Sleep

It’s October, so we’re officially in spooky season. I decided to start things off with Doctor Sleep, a sequel to The Shining. I really wasn’t sure what to expect from the film. I haven’t read the King book, but I’ve read the original and watched the film multiple times. They’re different from each other, but a great example of adaptation theory at work. (Both are fantastic, leaning into the strengths of their media.) How do you make a sequel to something as iconic as that movie and that book? By doing a fantastic job of it, of course. The premise

Movie Review: Heaven Can Wait

I first watched Heaven Can Wait when I was a kid. I’m not sure exactly how old I was. Maybe 12? I probably watched it once or twice after that, but it’s been decades since I’ve seen it again. I remembered it generally being pretty decent, though, so I decided to give it a shot for family movie night yesterday. Daniela’s up for just about anything, and as long as things aren’t in black and white, MC will give it a shot. How’d it do? As a refresher if it’s been a while (or a description if it’s been never),

Movie Review: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Most of the time a movie or a tv show has to be on my list for me to decide to watch it. Not that I literally add the movies to a list, but I know which ones I’ve made a mental note about wanting to watch, and which I haven’t. But every so often I decide to throw caution to the wind and just watch something that’s not in my queue. Sometimes it fails spectacularly. Now and then, I find an absolute gem. I’d heard of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris mainly through watching the Oscars. From that, I