jamesbamesy Reviews

Stage Fright (I) (2014)

Very unique take on the slasher/musical genre...though could have been done better.

[6/10 · 19 August 2017]

Taking the name of other films from before (including another slasher from 1987), Stage Fright (2014) is a recent obscure, independent horror film that brings back the slasher genre, added with a twist; that being it's a horror musical, with characters singing musical numbers and such. Now, when it comes to horror musicals, there are very few that have done it, but do turn out really good, such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Sweeney Todd (the Johnny Depp film). So, as this movie is a throwback to old-school horror, can it live up to its expectations as a unique slasher, or is it just another disappointment that is worth forgetting?

Plot: 10 years ago, Kylie Swanson (Minnie Driver), a Broadway diva, is murdered by an unknown assailant wearing a mask, after the show is over. We skip to present day, and Kylie's children Camilla (Allie MacDonald) and Buddy (Douglas Smith) are now teenagers and have been raised by Roger McCall (Meat Loaf), a former lover for Kylie and the producer of a musical theater at a summer camp. When Camilla hears about the musical production that will be opening at the camp, she decides to audition, even if that isn't a choice for her. Soon, however, she does get the part as the lead role, Sofia, after sneaking in with Joel Hopton (Kent Nolan), a camper overseeing the auditions, and is now a lover for Camilla. Unknowingly, however, there is now a masked-killer (the same mask as worn from the death of Camilla's mother) who is picking off each cast and crew member, one by one. The reason? Well, he says, as in sings, that he's sick of Roger's musicals and is enraged by so.

On paper, this does sound like a well-thought-out plot. That is until we get to the killer and his motivations. As cool as he was, with the metal guitar playing and all (in contrast to the much softer musical tracks), it just feels out of place and is like if you take a musical-comedy-drama and just throw in a slasher villain to make it horror. I know I'm being hypocritical, since that's what it is, basically, but the killer just feels irrelevant to the main plot, besides the opening scene and the reveal at the end. I won't spoil who's behind the mask or what the explanation is, but it is pretty odd and just felt, again, out of place.

There are good things to say about this film, though. The acting from the cast isn't that bad, especially since we got notable stars in here like Meat Loaf and Minnie Driver (the latter only being seen in the beginning, making it feel more of a waste of potential). Also, the kills are pretty good, and the gore effects aren't bad, which is what makes many slasher films great. The characters are while some unlikable, others are fun to be had with, and I did feel sorrow for Camilla because of her mother's death, and her inspiration to be just like her. Thus, there are characters in which you have the good and the bad, no one that is really that boring.

Overall, as a musical, it is quite decent, but as a slasher, it should've had more execution. Stage Fright may be a lot of fun with nice blood, a relatable main protagonist, and a badass villain when disguised, but it isn't quite enough to make it a good horror movie because of its focus going more towards the musical side, than a great B-horror, along with a bland motive for our main antagonist. If you like the musical genre, you'll most likely enjoy it. If you're more into the slasher-horror genre, then you might like the killer, but will be disappointed as a whole. For me, I thought it was okay, and had a good watch, but didn't really care for the musical aspects or the twist. Therefore, I give this movie 6 knives out of 10.

Child's Play (1988)

Creative idea for a horror movie and gave us one of the best slasher villains ever!

[9/10 · 1 July 2017]

Child's Play was one of, if not the first horror franchise I got connected to. Even though that this wasn't the first one I saw, I still was able to admire it as a good start for the series. The whole premise is about a living doll named Chucky going around killing people, and the sequels do get quite silly after about 4 of them (cough cough Seed of Chucky). So, if that's the case, how good is the original Child's Play to be considered a classic? Let's see...

Infamous serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) is gunned down by Det. Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon) - but does a chant with a Good Guy doll just before his death - in the toy store. A day later, it's the birthday of a 6- year-old boy, Andy Barclay (Alec Vincent), and gets the same Good Guy doll named Chucky from his mother, Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks). One night, however, when Karen's friend Maggie (Dinah Manoff) babysits Andy, she is mysteriously murdered and this raises awareness for everyone, including Det. Morris. This goes as far as claiming the murder on little Andy. Thus, he is taken away from his mother for a while. Suddenly, when Karen is at the fireplace with the doll, she discovers that it's alive, scaring her, which leaves Chucky to run off and do his own bidding. Turns out that Andy was right about him being alive, earlier in the film.

This is a horror classic, and for good reason. First of all, I love the concept of your own toy causing all of this trouble, even if it may have been done before, but not to this extent. The effects on Chucky are very well done, and Brad Dourif gives a greatly scary performance as the killer doll, without being too comical in the role.

Speaking of great performances, the acting is all great and believable in the situations they're in. Catherine Hicks, for example, does great as the fearful mom who's truly worried about her son and dislikes it whenever she's being fooled with or when people don't believe her about the doll being animate. The only character I think could have been handled a bit better would actually be Andy, as he does get slightly annoying due to the acting by Alex Vincent. But I can't exactly fault him since he was little at the time. Besides, I think he's one of the better kid characters in horror films.

Now, despite this being in the horror genre and that there wouldn't be many messages, if one at most, this one does have an interesting, hidden moral. It could be about parents stressing about their children about getting what they want. This could potentially lead to bad locations to get said thing their child wants and ending up badly depending on the change put in the product. But hey, this is just a guess of what the meaning could be and may not be true.

Overall, though, Child's Play is a very well-made horror movie of the 1980's and one of my favourites of all time. With an intriguing plot and premise, acting that would be suitable for more than just horror, solid suspense, and an excellent villain, this is for horror fans and movie fans alike who like to see something different. That being said, however, it may be technically the best, but it isn't my favourite (see my list of the Child's Play/Chucky movies from best to worst for further information), but it is very, very close. Therefore, I would give this fun horror flick a solid 9 out of 10.

Rocky (1976)

A sports classic that would spawn the career of a legendary movie icon.

[9/10 · 24 June 2017]

Ah, Rocky. What else is there to talk about that hasn't already been said? The movie that put Sylvester Stallone on the map and won the Oscar for Best Picture back in '77. As a movie goer, I wanted to explore the Rocky films, as I got the Blu-ray collection of the original 6 movies. It was a truly great experience watching these films and made me a fan of the series. But with that being said, how does the original hold up compared to the sequels? Well, the answer may be obvious, but let's just start anyway, shall we?

Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is a broken boxer, who is looked upon as a "bum" because of his habits in the streets of Philadelphia. He is later seen being competed against Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), giving Rock a one to million shot on New Year's Eve 1975. He decides to accept the fight, as well as dealing with his relationship to his friend Paulie's (Burt Young) sister Adrian (Talia Shire), and having his old trainer Mickey (Burgess Meredith) come to help him prepare for the battle.

One strong aspect of this movie is how believable the characters are due to its solid casting. Take the title character himself for example; he may seem like some bad cause to the locals, but all he is is just a lonely guy who's hoping something good will happen to him. And even though Stallone may have been repeating words over in his sentences ("You know" being a prime example of this), it was in his early times, so it's understandable.

Another thing this movie has to offer is the score done by Bill Conti and the cinematography (most notably the training scene and the final fight between Balboa and Creed). The music just gets you invested and the camera shots are excellent, like the iconic "running up the steps" scene with the amazing "Gonna Fly Now" tune. It just makes you so excited it gives you goosebumps each time you see it.

However, if there is one thing to criticize here is that it can get rather slow at times. The first act is just Rocky trying to live his normal life. This is even worse when sequels like Rocky III and IV would come along and make the series more enjoyable to watch because of their nonstop action sequences. But that's not to say it ruins the whole movie, in fact by doing so, it makes it feel a lot more subtle in addition to the grainy atmosphere that makes the movie feel so realistic and down-to-earth.

To many people, Rocky is a film that teaches us that it isn't necessarily winning that matters, but how much you try that counts. Thus, it doesn't feel like your typical sports drama, where the protagonist has to win the game to succeed their goal. Unfortunately, many of the sequels do rely on the goal of winning, which in a way, kills the original's meaning. But if you can get past that, this message is motivational enough to become a timeless piece of advice whenever you're feeling negative about yourself.

With believable acting, a fantastic soundtrack, memorable characters, well-structured plot, and a great message, the first Rocky movie is really a 1970's classic you wouldn't wanna miss out on. Chances are, though, you've already seen it, but if not, do give it a watch. It is essentially the film a lot of people should see for its realistic morals and how we tend to fail plenty in life and need to learn to get better. The best of the Rocky franchise, and probably Sly Stallone's best next to First Blood, I give this movie an 8.5 out of 10, closer to a 9.