Halloween Kills Review

Halloween Kills

Dir: David Gordon Green

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Thomas Mann, Will Patton, Dylan Arnold, Kyle Richards, Nancy Stephens, Robert Longstreet,

and Anthony Michael Hall

1 h 46 m

 

"Let it burn!" These are the words Laurie Strode, the babysitter who battled Michael Myers back in 1978, screams at passing firetrucks. Laurie, who waited 40 years for Myers to return to Haddonfield, trapped Michael inside the basement of her compound and set the whole place on fire, saving her daughter and granddaughter in the process. 

 

David Gordon Green's sequel, "Halloween Kills, takes a different route than the rebooted first film. Taking the emphasis away from the character study of the resilient and traumatized Laurie Strode, played with ferocity by Jamie Lee Curtis in the first film, and refocusing on the genre's slasher intentions. Green eliminates suspense in favor of brutality, which is violent, bloody, and gory, and shifts the perspective from Laurie's plan for closure against Michael Myers onto other survivors from that fateful Halloween night in 1978. Specifically, an angry mob, led by Tommy Doyle, a commanding Anthony Michael Hall, are planning a frenzied hunting party searching for the Boogeyman who still haunts their beloved Haddonfield. 

 

When "Halloween Kills" opens, it's still Halloween night, and Michael Myers has survived, brutally slaying the group of firemen who freed him from the blazing trap set by Laurie, who is now recovering in the local hospital after her encounter. Her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) are also worse for wear. 

 

At the same time, the surviving members of Michael's carnage in 1978 meet at a local dive bar. Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall) and Lindsey Wallace (Kyle Richards), the kids Laurie babysat as a teenager, meet with former nurse Marion Chambers (Nancy Stephens) and grown-up bully Lonnie Elam (Robert Longstreet). Phones begin to chime, and a television news alert interrupts the Halloween festivities as word breaks that Michael Myers has escaped and returned to continue his hometown rampage in Haddonfield. Tommy, a baseball bat in hand, organizes a gang of locals to hunt the Boogeyman down once and for all, fiercely proclaiming "evil dies tonight." 

 

Director David Gordon Green aggressively shifts tone, substituting the suspenseful scares and menace of the first film for a more brutal and horrific approach. While there is nothing wrong with manipulating genre expectations, especially with a franchise that has existed for more than 40 years, Green also diverts from the core emotional character of the Halloween myth, Laurie Strode. For much of "Halloween Kills," Laurie is sidelined to the confines of a hospital bed. And when she finally regains consciousness, the character is left with a one-note emotion of guilt that isn't explored. 

 

In place of Laurie, the film focuses much of its time on Tommy Doyle and the crowd of traumatized townsfolk who grow more aggressive with every dimwitted decision they make. There are hints of commentary surrounding mob mentality and the impact one strong voice can make in a crowd of scared individuals; one scene involving another escaped inmate brings these themes closest to a complete emotion. However, the narrative rarely offers the time between kills to examine these pieces. 

 

What is very clear about "Halloween Kills" is the composition of Michael Myers. The near superhuman monster has one purpose, destruction. For the survivors of Michael's past mayhem, who are traumatized, scared, and angry, their connection with The Shape is personal and affecting. For Michael, he barely registers any relationship to his past victims; this is shown through the sudden, forceful, and vicious acts of violence committed against anyone who gets in Michael's way. These gory special effects-driven scenes are sure to have the horror fans "oohing" and "aahing" with glee.

 

It is well known that "Halloween Kills" is not the finale for this franchise, which belongs to the forthcoming and aptly titled "Halloween Ends." David Gordon Green attempts to do something different with this sequel; while the heightened special effects viscera and nostalgic community of characters bring chaos to the drama, the absence of Laurie Strode for much of the film turns Michael Myers into an unstoppable machine and ultimately makes this film feel like a placeholder, a side story of Michael's night of terror until Laurie meets him face to face one final time. 

 

Monte's Rating

2.75 out of 5.00

Knives Out Review

Knives Out

Dir: Rian Johnson

Starring: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, and Christopher Plummer

It was Colonel Mustard in the library with a candlestick! 

Everyone loves a good, old fashioned whodunit; that stealthy murder mystery suspense thriller in the vein of an Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle novel. The kind of mystery story that starts with the discovery of a dead body and weaves through a group of people, where everyone is a suspect, leading towards the final reveal of the devious plans and the uncovering of the murderer who tried to get away with it all. 

Writer/director Rian Johnson, who last helmed the monolithic “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”, takes a step back with a smaller more restrained film and also into the past with “Knives Out”. Johnson, obviously influenced by films like the Agatha Christie adaptation “Death on the Nile”, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s “Sleuth” starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, and “Deathtrap” from Sidney Lumet, crafts a clever and entertaining whodunit with an exceptionally talented cast of players. 

The mystery takes place at the sprawling, ornamented estate owned by world-renowned mystery author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). His family, a group of ravenous vultures who have become dependent on the immense wealth Harlan has cultivated with the production of his library of novels, is celebrating his birthday when at the end of the evening, Harlan is found dead in his study. 

Funeral arrangements are made, the last will & testament reading is planned, but the police (LaKeith Stanfield and Noah Segan) have some final questions concerning the circumstances of Harlan’s death. Most especially interested is Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), a sort-of-famous investigator, who’s involvement in the proceedings is dubiously unknown. As are the motives of Harlan’s caretaker Marta (Ana de Armas), his arrogant nephew (Chris Evans), belligerent son (Michael Shannon), and entitled daughter (Jamie Lee Curtis). Everyone is a suspect.

Rian Johnson clearly understands the setup and execution of these specific narratives, spending a meticulous amount of time building the maze of clever clues, amusing MacGuffins, and witty fake outs. Johnson understands that what makes these types of films so enthralling is that viewers will place themselves into the story as amateur gumshoes, analyzing background objects, dissecting comments made by characters, and following the many diverting bread crumb trails. Johnson executes this component effectively throughout, building the mystery and revealing secrets in interesting, if sometimes familiar, ways. There are only a couple of moments when the twists and turns overtake the pacing and momentum of the story.

The cast is exceptional and part of the reason the film works so well. Everyone in the film has a specific motivation and each has very identifiable character traits that set them apart from one another. Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, with a thick southern accent and showy gestures, swaggers through scenery with confidence and glee. Jamie Lee Curtis, playing the stoic figure of the family, is having fun giving long glares and sly smirks. Michael Shannon, playing Harlan’s son, is consistently amusing to watch as he stumbles and grumbles from scene to scene. The entire ensemble is provided an opportunity to shine.

“Knives Out” is a meticulously crafted environment and story from start to finish. While there are a few moments when the film reveals its tricks too early and sometimes too plainly, Rian Johnson ultimately displays a masterful understanding of how to craft a good ol’ fashioned whodunit.

Monte’s Rating

4.00 out of 5.00

Halloween Review

Halloween

Dir: David Gordon Green

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Will Patton, Haluk Bilginer, Rhian Rees, Jefferson Hall, Virginia Gardner, and Andi Matichak

In 1978 a low budget horror film featuring a group of teenage girls and a stalking killer in a pale white mask changed the landscape of genre film forever and introduced the cinematic world to a young director, eventual master of horror, named John Carpenter. “Halloween”, as simplistic of a premise as it may have, is undeniably an iconic film responsible for the explosion of horror films in the 1980’s and ultimately influencing generations of filmmakers still trying to evoke the fear of the boogeyman.

“Halloween” is also responsible for the introduction of Jamie Lee Curtis in her first film role as the lone survivor, Laurie Strode, of Michael Myers’ Halloween night carnage. Director David Gordon Green, who has done everything from arthouse films like the exceptional “George Washington” to goofball comedies like “Pineapple Express”, returns 40 years later to Haddonfield, Illinois and back into the life of Laurie Strode. Mr. Green builds an homage to the brilliant classic in the designs and story, however, the highlight here belongs solely to Jamie Lee Curtis.

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) survived the horrific events of Halloween night in 1978 and has dedicated her entire life to preparing for an eventual second encounter with Michael Myers. However, in doing this, Laurie has been divorced two times and has estranged herself from her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak). During this time Michael Myers has been silently waiting in a mental institute, being studied by his psychiatrist (Haluk Bilginer) and interviewed by a couple of podcasters (Rhian Rees and Jefferson Hall) researching the extent of Michael’s actions, they go as far as bringing him his mask. 

David Gordon Green demonstrates a keen understanding of all the moving parts that have come before in this long-running series. Green, who co-wrote the script with Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley, provides enough knowing nods to different aspects of the Myers mythology that fans will have fun seeing it all come to life. Green uses these aspects to toy with expectations as well, showing the recognizable closet slates or a lingering clothesline to evoke tension associated with the imagery. Accompanying all this is a new score by John Carpenter, building on the original themes in unique ways while also adding a few new elements that ratchet up the unease. And there is more but the fun won’t be spoiled further.

Jamie Lee Curtis is exceptional throughout the film; Laurie’s flowing gray hair and piercing expressions display a victim who is determined to never be unprepared again. Mrs. Curtis captures the essence of this character nicely, displaying the tough-as-nails heroine, the slightly unhinged doomsday prepper, and a traumatized woman who barely escaped death. Judy Greer is good although slightly underutilized playing Laurie’s daughter Karen. Newcomer Andy Matichak has a natural presence on screen, doing her best version of the type of young characters found in Carpenter’s original film.

The narrative, amidst the amusing elements that call back to the past, builds towards an eventual showdown between good and evil. Mr. Green does a nice job keeping the tension palpable, and the horrors horrific, as Michael stalks from house to house seemingly choosing victims simply because they were home on Halloween night. It’s menacing to watch the brute force that Michael possesses, even though the film makes no mystery that Michael is a well-aged man, the kills are vicious and gruesome. Still, the eventual encounter between Laurie and Michael, which is what the film is always aiming towards, doesn’t hold the gravity that it should. This is partly because the film turns into a standard slasher film with tropes so familiar that you can feel the beats developing well before they happen. Where Carpenter’s original film took its time building angst and composing the frights, Green’s film seems content to rush through the scares which take away from the foreboding nature that the encounter should have composed.

But these are minimal qualms for a film that is ultimately a highlight amongst the franchise. Mr. Green does a fine job keeping the focus on Laurie Strode, and Jamie Lee Curtis is so good playing the character. John Carpenter’s “Halloween” will never be bested, but for those that have grown up with The Shape as a constant icon of terror during the month of October, this 2018 return will be a welcomed arrival.

Monte’s Rating

3.75 out of 5.00