Halloween II (1981) – Rick Rosenthal

And this is where the problems with the Halloween sequels start. Is it canon? Is it not? How do you define canon? John Carpenter got himself a producer’s credit for this film, as well as having a hand in editing and the music for the film, but the biggest indicator, no matter what he thought…

TIFF ’23: Hell of a Summer

Long-time friends Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk share directing, producing, writing and starring credits in their enjoyable and goofy riff on camp slasher films. It’s summer, and Camp Pineaway is gearing up for another round of campers and counsellors. In fact, the counsellors gather the weekend before camp opens to prepare, get reacquainted, drunk, high,…

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) – Frank Oz

Growing up, and even now, my love for the Muppets has never faltered, and while I treasure my memories of The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie, and The Great Muppet Caper, I have no real recall of The Muppets Take Manhattan. I saw it only once, when it came to home video, and I don’t…

The Color Purple (1985) – Steven Spielberg

Was Steven Spielberg the right person to shoot the film adaptation of Alice Walker’s powerful novel? He was an interesting choice for the project, and it definitely wasn’t the dramatic material that he was associated with in the 80s, having delivered a number of blockbusters at that point. And while there were a number of…

Scream 3 (2000) – Wes Craven

Wes Craven delivered a third entry into the Scream franchise in 2000, and while it’s interesting to see how characters have changed (or not) since the second film, the film itself lacks the self-referential meta nature that made the first to so enjoyable. Even by transposing the bulk of the story to the making of…

House (1985) – Steven Miner

Directed by Steve Miner, who gave us Friday the 13th Parts 2 and 3, and Sean S. Cunningham who gave us the first film, and was the producer for its sequels, gives us a different kind of horror (tinged with comedy) starring William Katt and George Wendt, and while there’s an interesting concept here, a…

Wayne’s World 30th Anniversary Steelbook Blu-Ray Review

It’s hard to believe that somehow, Wayne’s World is thirty years old. I remember seeing it in the theatres with my friends, I remember Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) on SNL, back when I would enjoy it. I remember it vividly, and it does not feel like thirty years ago. That being said,…

TIFF 2021: Violet dir. Justine Bateman

With her feature debut, writer/director Justine Bateman delivers an oppressive but ultimately rewarding emotional powerhouse that brings the everyday inner monologue and life struggle that each of us experience to the screen. In this case, it’s Olivia Munn’s Violet, a film producer, who has for too long sacrificed her own wellness, and life to the…

Groundhog Day (1993) – Harold Ramis

Bill Murray headlines in one of my favourite comedies, Groundhog Day, which sees Murray as Phil Connors, a smarmy weatherman who thinks he’s better than his yearly assignment to head to Punxsutawney, for Phil the Groundhog’s yearly prediction on winter. He’s joined by his new producer, Rita (Andie MacDowell), and cameraman, Larry (Chris Elliott). Following…