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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nPredator (1987)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a crime that it has taken me, a massive horror fanatic, this long to finally watch Predator.\u00a0 <\/em>The eternal abyss of my backlog is never ending; never complete.\u00a0 Having now watched the film, I can understand why the franchise rose to popularity in the 80s: the decade that\u2019s always jumping the shark.\u00a0 I do like the tense moments in the film where the Predator is stalking someone, or the epic cat-and-mouse Schwarzenegger and the Predator have.\u00a0 I do think the movie leans hard into the action side of horror and lately, I have been enjoying slower-paced psychological horrors.\u00a0 Furthermore, I do think this movie is directly to blame for Schwarzenegger being cast as Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin.\u00a0 <\/em>A casting director definitely saw him throwing out those one-liners and thought, imagine if those were ice puns.<\/p>\n\n\n Killer Workout (1987)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A local theater started showing some bad horror films to bring the community together for a laugh. Naturally, I went not for the laughs, but for the mental exercise of how I would fix each film. Yet, I will admit, it was hard to resist laughing at the cheesy 80s camp most of these movies occupy. If you are looking for something to mock, these will probably fit the bill. If you\u2019re looking for scares, you should probably look elsewhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First on the chopping block is the 1987 film, Killer Workout<\/em>. After the death of her twin sister, Rhoda Johnson opens a gym, only for her clients to be brutally murdered one by one. Off the bat, I gotta say this story is trying way too hard for something this schlocky. The movie has one of those unearned twists that come out of nowhere. There\u2019s a separate red herring with a guy the movie really wants you to think is the killer, but isn\u2019t. The real killer and the herring barely interact, so it just feels awkward and forced. On top of the weird plot, Killer Workout<\/em> is more focused on watching tight-clothed women do aerobics than having interesting kills. For crying out loud, the main murder weapon is a giant safety pin; I just want to grab the director, tell him to stop drooling over his actresses, and give me some over-the-top murders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So how do I fix this straight-to-VHS train wreck? First, pair down the plot to one twist and work in some breadcrumbs, so the twist doesn\u2019t feel out of left field. Punch up the kills. Tell the director that he can\u2019t gawk at any of the women until he shoots some good kill scenes. From there you might get a decent slasher film. It will still be a metaphorical wolf drooling at all the ladies, but you got to do what you can to stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n Dune: Part One (2019)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n With Dune: Part Two<\/em> lurking on the horizon, I felt it required, nay necessary, to rewatch Dune: Part One<\/em> to familiarize myself with the world.\u00a0 To my surprise, most of the overarching narrative felt as fresh as my initial viewing back in 2019.\u00a0 I believe this is mostly due to Dune: Part One<\/em> laying the groundwork for the series.\u00a0 We are introduced to so many factions, locations and noblemen, that it is shocking the movie doesn\u2019t turn into an encyclopedia; a common complaint of Herbert\u2019s writing.\u00a0 Something I completely forgot was how much charisma Jason Momoa has as Duncan Idaho.\u00a0 The DC movies are completely guilty of obliterating how much screen presence Momoa had.\u00a0 Seeing him be completely unleashed in Dune: Part One<\/em> was a highlight for the film, and made it all the more disappointing when we learned his character wasn\u2019t going to make it into the sequel.\u00a0 Nonetheless, I was excited to see what Dune: Part Two<\/em> would do with most of the world building out of the way.<\/p>\n\n\n Dune: Part Two<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Art is a mirror.\u00a0 Reflecting back both the good and the ugly.\u00a0 None a better example than Dune Part Two<\/em>.\u00a0 A reflection of violence in colonialism, risk in hero worship and the dangers of religious fanaticism.\u00a0 I am not sure if I have ever admitted this atop my soapbox, but I believe religion to be a poison.\u00a0 Many bad actors use it as a weapon, and far too many sit idly, never speaking out against it.\u00a0 Certainly a theme woven deep into the story of Dune<\/em>.\u00a0 While, I will always respect a film that willing to shine a light on this true, I have a hard time returning to films that taking this approach as it just reminds me of the damages religion has caused.\u00a0 I don\u2019t fault author Frank Herbert for making Dune<\/em> a parallel reflection to our own world.\u00a0 Hell, I applaud Dennis Villeneuve, cast and crew for bringing this world to life.\u00a0 Despite being nearly three hours, I would still recommend this movie to people.\u00a0 However, as the credits rolled, I made my way to my car, and sat there listening to Rotten Apple<\/em> by Alice in Chains, completely heartbroken by Paul\u2019s betrayal to Chani.\u00a0 I struggle to see a day when I would want to return to Dune: Part Two<\/em> to endure the religious fanaticism just to rewatch Paul shatter the heart of his most loyal of friend.<\/p>\n\n\n Demons 2 (1986)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah yes, another sloppy 1980s horror that I am going to attempt to script doctor into a tolerable film.\u00a0 Demons 2<\/em>, ironically not related to Demons 1, <\/em>is a movie about a woman who gets possessed by a demon while watching a documentary about demon possessions, she then begins to spread the demonic infection by biting everyone in her apartment building.\u00a0 That feels more like a zombie thing, but I\u2019ll give you a pass on that one, Demons 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Demons 2<\/em>\u2019s big problem is there are too many characters.\u00a0 There are about ten different characters the movie tees up as potential survivors.\u00a0 You might think the movie\u2019s issue is that it just doesn\u2019t have the length to support all these characters, but that requires these characters to have an ounce of personality.\u00a0 To say these are generic-stock horror movie characters is giving Demons 2<\/em> too much credit; all of them are just lambs for the demonic slaughter.\u00a0 Sure, I remember the pregnant mother, nerdy father, a Black gym instructor (who does not die first) and young kid left on his own, but my brain threw out information, like their names, long ago.\u00a0 The solution seems simple to me: cut down on characters and inject more personality into the ones you want to keep.<\/p>\n\n\n Imaginary<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Words to live by as a writer: if this is not the most interesting moment in your character\u2019s life, why are you telling it?\u00a0 This phrase echoes throughout my head as I think of movies like Imaginary.\u00a0 <\/em>The first two thirds of this movie is exactly what you would expect from a horror movie about an imaginary friend.\u00a0 Child makes an imaginary friend, they ask the child to do some creepy stuff, imaginary friend eats a character who only has three lines, so on and so forth. You have seen this movie a thousand times.\u00a0 However, the movie starts to get intriguing when the parent chases the imaginary friend and the child they kidnapped into an MC Escher style dream world.\u00a0 It was a visually striking world that I would have gladly wanted to see more of, instead of going through our clich\u00e9-horror-movie checklist.\u00a0 Other screenwriters, I am begging you, taking an hour to explain how we got to your version of the Upside Down, will only make people walk out of the theater.\u00a0 I can\u2019t blame anyone for not being able to sit through this slog.<\/p>\n\n\n American Psycho (2000)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you like Mary Harron, the director? Her earlier work was done in television, which isn\u2019t really my taste, but when American Psycho<\/em> came out in ’00, I think she really came into her own, commercially and artistically. The whole film has a clear, crisp, and new sheen feel to the cold serial killer genre that really gives the film a big boost. The main character, Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale, was compared to many other serial killers, but I think Bateman has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor. I think American Psycho<\/em> is their undisputed masterpiece, a rollercoaster of a movie, that most people probably don’t think about the movie is trying to say. But they should, because it’s not just about an unreliable narrator, and his sick twisted thoughts, it’s also a personal statement about narcissism, consumerism, and ultra masculine need to conquer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, I am sure somebody has already done this joke, but when you love this movie as much as I do, you can\u2019t resist. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to return some videotapes and explain music in a deep and philosophical way. <\/p>\n\n\n The Strangers (2008)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my favorite comparisons is saying a jump scare in a horror movie or video game is similar to a fart joke in a comedy act.\u00a0 A good comedian can perfectly weave a fart joke into their act: maybe open with a simple one to warm up the crowd, occasionally call back to it mid-act, and possibly end with the biggest fart joke they have left in the tank.\u00a0 Ideally, a horror movie\/game should do the same with jump scares.\u00a0 A hack comedian will go up on stage and just blow raspberries into the mic.\u00a0 I always picture that image when a bad horror movie decides to bombard me with nothing but jump scares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I mention this comparison because The Strangers<\/em> would be that masterful comedian who looks like they are leading the story to a fart joke, but veer away until the final joke.\u00a0 Hitting the audience with the best fart joke they have ever heard.\u00a0 In the hands of an inexperienced director, The Strangers<\/em> would be nothing but a jump scare safari: thinking of you, The Nun II<\/em>.\u00a0 However, in the hands of Bryan Bertino, The Strangers<\/em> build a perfect atmosphere that makes you scared to be alone in your own house.\u00a0 An ungodly amount of restraint is being exercised in this movie, and unfortunately, I doubt the same restraint will be in The Strangers: Chapter 1<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in my high school days, anytime I was playing Rock Band 2<\/em> with friends and family, it was tradition to end the night on Tribute<\/em> by Tenacious D. Not only did the song have an infectious way of putting a smile on all of our faces, but we felt the infamous line \u201cThis is not the greatest song in the world, this is just a tribute\u201d perfectly capture why the heart and soul of the Guitar Hero<\/em> and Rock Band<\/em> series.\u00a0 Every time you picked up that plastic guitar, you were playing tribute to some of your favorite bands and artist.\u00a0 Something that, I believe, Tenacious D always understood and worked into their own music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So naturally, as a fan of Tenacious D, it would only make sense that I will always hold a soft spot for Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.\u00a0 <\/em>A goofy early 2000s comedy about two bros becoming the band they were destined to be.\u00a0 With songs like Master Exploder<\/em>, Kickapoo<\/em>, and Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)<\/em> being part of the story, you can\u2019t help but smile from ear to ear.\u00a0 I am sure if you ask Jack Black and Kyle Gass, they won\u2019t claim to have changed rock history, but for me, I will always believe they did by making it fun again.<\/p>\n\n\n Late Night with the Devil<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our king has arrived.\u00a0 Late Night with the Devil <\/em>will most likely hold the horror movie crown of 2024 for quite a while.\u00a0 Our tale centers around Jack Delroy, host of the late-night talk show, Night Owls.\u00a0 After the tragic loss of his wife, Jack becomes desperate to break out of his second place in the TV ratings by holding a haunted Halloween event.\u00a0 Our story becomes a cautionary tale about making deals with devils in the bleak bid for fame, but David Dastmalchian’s work as the charismatic but at the end of his rope talk show host is what makes the film memorable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n One critique?\u00a0 I do think there was an opportunity for a jump scare.\u00a0 There\u2019s a moment when a \u201cWe\u2019ll be right back\u201d cue card comes up, and I would have had the demon almost run into the screen.\u00a0 The cue card could scratch and distort over the demon\u2019s face and hands to visually show coming through the TV of the audience at home.\u00a0 Late Night With the Devil <\/em>certainly doesn\u2019t need a jump scare, but I think it would have made it just that more memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n Heavy Metal (1981)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why do I have a sinking feeling this was a huge inspiration for The Pick of Destiny<\/em>?\u00a0 Sex, drugs, and rock n roll blended into an animated movie that seems perfectly designed for cult appeal.\u00a0 The film revolves around a green orb telling an anthology of tales of his dark and evil escapades to a young girl with a who\u2019s who of classic rock soundtrack.\u00a0 From Black Sabbath to Stevie Nicks, you get all the greats who graced their musical talents to rock n roll.\u00a0 Heavy Metal<\/em> is exactly what you would get from a 80s rock infused animated film.\u00a0 Despite being exactly as advertised, I couldn\u2019t help but be drawn into its weird world.\u00a0 Shine on you crazy diamond.<\/p>\n\n\n Sinster (2012)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh look, Doomsayer is stuck in that same old bear trap; he just can\u2019t resist horror movies around writers struggling with their art.\u00a0 What can I say, as I watched Ethan Hawke play a writer who struggles to recapture his old success and ends up going down a dark path of familial murders, child abductions, and possible demons in an aim to top his first big hit, I was completely mesmerized. \u00a0 What truly drew me in was the movie\u2019s excellent pacing.\u00a0 So often I would expect to see the horrifying face that Ethan Hawke\u2019s character kept seeing in the home movies, but it never came.\u00a0 My heart would race every second Hawke\u2019s character was stumbling around in the dark.\u00a0 Your typical slasher would be throwing jump scares during this scene, but Sinister<\/em> has the restraint and will to use them sparingly.\u00a0 If you have the sudden need to be scared of the dark, then Sinister<\/em> is the movie for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n The Purge (2013)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I regularly like to remind people that all art is political. No, I am not saying that art leans to the left or right of the American political parties, but I refer to the definition that states politics is the complex relations between people living in a society. With that in mind, you start to view romantic comedies as tools to push a family-focused society. Now, I understand not every movie works in that framework; the need to shove Christian imagery in our face during a Fast and Furious<\/em> movie is more likely an accident than done purposefully. However, some movies can\u2019t help but make these political themes a focus of their stories, and when they do, I believe they are teeing themselves up to have their politics questioned. Oh yes, you know where we are going with this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I sat there, during The Purge<\/em>, I couldn\u2019t help but consider the idea the movie proposed: would a night where all crime is legal help the country?\u00a0 It probably won\u2019t stop people from stealing, as many do it because they have to choose between food and rent.\u00a0 It definitely won\u2019t curb the violence and murder we see in this country, as much of that stems again from poverty-stricken communities doing what they can to survive.\u00a0 Will this stop people of the corporate elites from committing all the fraud and stealing they do.\u00a0 In the words of Jordan Belfort in Wolf of Wall Street<\/em>, \u201cAbsolutely fucking not.\u201d\u00a0 All this would do, as the movie shows, is allow bad actors to take advantage of marginalized groups.\u00a0 The poor would easily be eradicated and eventually causing the corporate elites to turn their sites on the middle class.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Purge<\/em> feels like it is only scratching the surface on how damaging an event like this could be, and I can hear many of The Purge<\/em> fans crying out that the sequels do a better job of tackling this issue.\u00a0 I certainly applaud the writers for recognizing this problem, but I can only judge the film in front of me.\u00a0 The Purge<\/em> just feels like a toddler splashing around in a thinly laid puddle, unaware of the storm going on around them.<\/p>\n\n\n Donnie Darko (2001)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether it is a comedy, action or horror movie, I always ask myself what emotional response is this movie going for.\u00a0 I imagine Denis Villeneuve would love hearing I sat in my car for 10 minutes listening to Alice in Chain\u2019s Jar of Flies<\/em> album after watching Dune 2<\/em>.\u00a0 Scott Derrickson would probably love hearing that I turned on EVERY light in my apartment after returning home from Sinister<\/em>.\u00a0 However, as I walked out of the theater after watching Donnie Darko,<\/em> I wasn\u2019t sure what to feel.\u00a0 For those unaware of this cult classic, Donnie Darko <\/em>stars the titular Donnie, a troubled teen who is having visions of a demon rabbit named Frank who convinces him to do crimes.\u00a0 Crimes that ultimately led to some positive events like meeting his girlfriend and getting a sexual predator exposed.\u00a0 During all of his antics, Donnie is constantly wondering if it is all worth it.\u00a0 Is he bettering the world or helping it towards its downfall?\u00a0 The movie ultimately leaves it up to the audience, and I am not entirely sure.\u00a0 It makes me want to go back, watch it again and let it really sink in.\u00a0 If you enjoy these ponderous-type movies, I got a feeling you\u2019ll enjoy Donnie Darko<\/em>.\u00a0 Despite not being sure how I felt, I enjoyed the characters enough that multiple viewings sounds like a good time.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" School\u2019s out for summer.\u00a0 Time to talk about some movies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-opinion","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2187"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2205,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2187\/revisions\/2205"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/KillerWorkout.png\")
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