Movie Review: SCREAM 4

I remember the first movie that I watched behind my parents back.  I was 17.  Normally, I obeyed my folks, but I was totally frustrated with their super-strict ways, and I felt like a rebel popping in a VHS copy of the newly released Teaching Mrs. Tingle (oh, and did I mention it was only rated PG-13).  This movie changed my life.  Not because it was amazing, but because it's what first introduced me to crappy fun horror films.  Since then, I've watch dozens upon dozens of others, and none of them have topped the Scream trilogy.  When I heard they were making a fourth, I was excited.  Many of the familiar characters would be back (the surviving ones anyways - including heroine Sidney Prescott), and it's been a while since we the viewer have been to Woodsboro.  I was okay with them cashing in (or trying to as it turns out) because I liked the previous entries so much.

And boy what fun it is!  Not because it's an amazing cinematic achievement (not by a long shot), not because of the great acting (it's campy as heck), and not because of the new ground it's breaking (it's a total retread).  I loved it because I felt like I was back in my bedroom with the volume way down so nobody would hear, sneaking something new and forbidden, and I was having one heck of a good time.  The tension was high, the blood was everywhere, and I didn't see the twist coming.  I loved the way the direction had the characters going on and off screen, keeping the number of suspects at a maximum.  Alone in the theater, I was literally muttering "Oh it's gotta be her" and "It's him!  It's him!" only to have the people in question slaughtered in the next scene.  This is why I go to this type of film, and this is why I left happy.

Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette are a few returns to the series, while Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Emma Roberts (It's Kind of a Funny Story), and a slew of other new potential victims add to the fun.  As I said, it's not amazing, but it's very fun.  If you don't like this type of movie, you shouldn't go.  But if you've missed the fun the Scream trilogy offered many years ago, this is a must see.  I would give it a 7 out of 10.

Family Take:  Um, if countless stabbings aren't enough for you, there is enough profanity to fill 100 R rated movies.

If You Like Scream 4 Try:  Try the original trilogy.  Actually, you really should see those first.

More Mini-Reviews

I can't believe it's been about a year since I started this blog!  The last couple of months have not been great post-wise, but I've been crazy busy (some work, some fun, all busy), and this doesn't take top priority.  I still love blogging though.  Here are a few more mini reviews and soon, the full reviews will be back.


Your Highness - A terrible waste of talent in a terrible film.  I hated this more than most this year.  2 out of 10.

Soul Surfer - Probably the best film of faith ever made, unfortunately that's not saying much.  This true story about a girl who loses her arm to a shark (in a hilariously campy scene) is both moving and silly.  6 out of 10.

Water for Elephants - If Big Fish were stripped of all it's magic, it would be WFE, a harmless yet pretty boring movie that's well acted and shot.  I didn't hate it, but I won't watch it again.  5 out of 10.

Madea's Big Happy Family -  Going to a Tyler Perry film is a cultural experience.  I don't want to sound racist, but these films aren't exactly made for white guys in their twenties.  That being said, while the film was overacted and silly (both in good ways and bad), I found myself laughing through the entire film.  It dragged a bit (no pun intended) but it will still please Madea fans.  6 out of 10.

All right, full reviews will come with the next movie I see!  Peace!

Mini-Review Catch-Up

Things have been absolutely crazy, and again, while I have been going to movies, I haven't had the time or energy to write about each one.  Once May hits, things should get a little bit better.  Here are my mini-reviews:


The Lincoln Lawyer
A well told, entertaining legal thriller starring Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillipe, and William H. Macy.  I liked it alot, but also felt I could see the same thing if I tuned into Law & Order.  There wasn't a single twist I didn't see coming, but again, I was entertaining.  Out of 10, I would give this a 6.5.

Limitless
Bradley Cooper, who got his start on one of my favorite shows of all-time, Alias, plays a man who discovers a pill that lets him live to his full potential.  The first half-hour of this movie is brilliant.  The rest is sloggish, and the ending is wrapped up so quickly I was ultimately unsatisfied.  It would score a 4.5 on my scale.

Battle LA
Finally, they've made a film for those who like explosions.  They didn't bog it down with plot, character development, good dialog - no, they just decided to blow a bunch of crap up and hope people would pay to see the destruction.  For me, this one joins Sanctum as one of the years very worst.  1.5 out of 10.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2
Maybe it's because I work in a library, and maybe it's because I think the book series is exceptional, but I found myself laughing far more than I expected to at this second outing with Greg Heffley, the middle school modern era Charlie Brown.  I loved the characters and the sequel greatly improved on the original.  I would give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Mars Needs Moms
And I wish they'd take this awful movie too.  2 out of 10.

Source Code
My early favorite movie of the year.  People keep comparing it to Inception but that's not really fair.  This terrorism, war game, Groundhog's Day, style thriller is original, fast-paced, and does what many movies fail to do (including Inception) - wrap up the story perfectly.  I loved it.  Great acting from Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, and the ever exceptional Vera Farmiga.  I've seen it twice already.  8.5 out of 10.

Hop
I was absolutely bored to death watching this never-ending story about the Easter bunny to be.  Little kids will like it (as did my mom), but I was definitely not their target audience.  It just made me appreciate Pixar all the more.  3 out of 10.

Alright, that's all for now!