“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” Movie Review

    It is getting around the time of year when studios start releasing spooky films in hopes they might have legs until Halloween, however some studios release their films around summer in time for a Halloween release on home video.  “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” decided to gamble on a late summer release so it will be interesting to see if the film does better on DVD and Blu-ray than it did at the multiplex.  The film is based on the book series by Alvin Schwartz and the illustrations by Stephen Gammell.

    The film tells the story of friends Stella, Auggie and Chuck as they get their revenge on bully Tommy on Halloween night only to have Tommy chase them to a local drive in theater where the trio hide in the vehicle of Ramón.  The group decides to check out the Bellows haunted house after and they discover a secret room where Sarah Bellows was supposedly locked away.  The group get locked away in the room when Tommy finds them.  Upon discovering the diary of Sarah Bellows, they are eerily set free and each go home.  The diary begins to add a scary story by itself about the bully Tommy and a scarecrow.  Once Tommy goes missing, the group realize that maybe something is going on with the diary and they are write, for the book begins to write scary stories about them all.  Now they must race to figure out how to stop the diary before it is too late.

    Let me start by saying this is an enjoyable horror film geared towards the pre teen demographic.  The film contains plenty of jump scares and twisted visuals but nothing too graphic either.  The creepy visuals might by too much for some younger visuals but young adults will no doubt enjoy the frights.  It’s amazing how the drawings of the book seem to come alive and the visual flair of Guillermo del Toro is easy to see in the movie.  It is definitely a creepy experience.

    The story plays out with plenty of scares but not much character development.  The four main characters aren’t given a lot to do except seem scared.  Gabriel Rush reminds me of a young Jason Sudeikis but that was about all I took away from his performance, while Austin Zajur seemed to channel Shia LaBeouf throughout the film.

    One aspect that I thought took something away from the movie slightly was that the film shared a plot that was very similar to the recent “Goosebumps” adaptation.  Seeing as how both films were also based on popular young adult horror books, it slightly took away from an overall enjoyable film going experience.  They just needed to change up the plot device a bit more in my opinion.

    “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” will probably never be considered a classic but it has such a unique style that it shouldn’t fade away completely either.  It is an overall enjoyable popcorn flick and I have a feeling the film will be destined to cult classic status at the very least.

Grade: B-

“Pokémon Detective Pikachu” Movie Review

    Being just shy of turning 34, I feel like the Pokémon franchise has been around for most of my life.  Since the mid 90s, Pokémon has taken the world by storm.  The franchise has consisted of video games, trading card games, television shows, and animated movies.  Everywhere you looked, you couldn’t escape Pokémon.  It truly was a cultural phenomenon among the youth of America.

    “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” tells the story of...well...detective Pikachu.  Okay, there is a little more to it but I think Pikachu alone would sell the movie to most people.  After a detective is in a car accident outside of a top secret Pokémon lab, Tim Goodman is informed his father has died as a result of the crash.  Upon going to his father’s apartment in Ryme City (a city where humans and Pokémon live together in peace), he finds a Pikachu there.  This Pikachu is unlike any other Pokémon however because Tim can understand him.  After forming a bond, the pair set off to find the truth behind the disappearance of Tim’s father.

    I am going to start off with a bit of a disclaimer for this review.  I am not, nor have I ever been, the biggest fan of Pokémon in the world.  I have a passing knowledge of the universe but I have never played a Pokémon game or collected trading cards or anything like that.  I have watched a few episodes of the animated series but that is about the extent of my Pokémon experience before this film.  I essentially wanted to see this because the trailer looked entertaining.

    I have some mixed feelings about this film.  On the plus side, this is probably the best video game adaptation to date.  While this is the first live action Pokémon movie made, there have been three animated Pokémon movies that have hit theaters (in addition to several movies that were released direct to video).  This adaptation lifts several elements from “Pokémon: The First Movie” including the inclusion of Mewtwo. One aspect of the film I felt a little let down by was that much of the humor of the film was highlighted in the trailer.  I was expecting a little funnier film even though I did enjoy the finished project.  I just wish the film was marketed a bit less humor heavy.

    The film stars as Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu.  Reynolds provides the voice and facial motion caption for the Pokémon.  Justice Smith plays Tim Goodman and has good chemistry with his computer animated co-star.  Smith has improved significantly since his critically panned role in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”.  Screen veterans Bill Nighy and Ken Watanabe add a level of credibility to the film.

    The film was directed by Rob Letterman who previously helmed “Goosebumps”.  Like “Goosebumps”, “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” was made for adult fans of the franchise.  The production design was a bit neon noir feeling not completely unlike “Blade Runner”.  The creature design was also fantastic.  The Pokémon felt feel and adorable throughout most of the movie.  Pikachu and Psyduck were among the standout creatures in the film.

    Overall, “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” is a cute nostalgia trip geared more for fans who grew up with the phenomenon as opposed to young fans just getting into the franchise.  While it wasn't exactly the movie I was hoping for, that doesn't make it a bad movie either.

Grade: B-

“Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween” Movie Review

    With a slew of new movies hitting theaters this October, it’s easy to see how a movie can get lost in the shuffle.  What is a little harder to believe is that a sequel to a relatively fun family movie would get overlooked but that is exactly what happened with “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween”.  The first movie was an entertaining Halloween offering for the family, much like this sequel, setting it apart from films like “Halloween” and “The Nun”.  Plus there is the nostalgia factor, what 30ish year old didn’t read at least one “Goosebumps” book growing up?  Was the movie just not up to snuff?  Is it because the target age bracket doesn’t have as much dispensable income?  Or perhaps was the marketing campaign poor?
    First, let’s look at the movie at hand and it’s premise.  The movie starts out with a couple of odd ball friends who start a trash pickup service.  The two friends open a book at the old house they are cleaning and accidentally unleash Slappy the Dummy.  The book happened to be R.L. Stein’s first unfinished “Goosebumps” book and like in the first film, the subject of the book comes to life.  Slappy decides the world needs to experience a true “Goosebumps” haunted Halloween and brings many creatures and monsters to life.
    Okay, so did this film give me goosebumps?  Well, I liked the movie overall.  Was it perfect?  Of course not.  Was it as good as the first movie?  I don’t think it was personally.  That being said, it was fun and the whole family could enjoy it, which is becoming less common lately.
    The movie had some pacing issues.  Towards the middle of the film and even the beginning, the movie drug some.  Once Slappy started his rampage, the film’s pace picked up quickly, but it took some time.  I did really enjoy the monster rampage though.
    The film starred Jeremy Ray Taylor and Caleel Harris as the two friends trying to survive school and unleash Slappy.  Taylor seems the more natural of the two child actors but neither were bad.  Madison Iseman plays Taylor’s sister in the film.  “Reno 911” and “The Goldbergs” vet Wendi McLendon-Convey plays their mother.  Chris Parnell plays the cashier with a crush on McLendon-Convey’s character.  They have a fun and funny chemistry while flirting in the film.  Most notably, Jack Black returns in an extended cameo as R.L. Stein.  Black is great and even though his role is very small, he is the highlight of the film.  Also of note is Ken Jeong as a “Goosebumps” and Halloween fanboy.  He was extremely humorous in the film.
    Of the stuff I liked, the “It” reference had me laughing out loud especially considering Jeremy Ray Taylor co-starred in the recent remake.  I also liked the cliffhanger ending which reminded me of the book series.  I also really enjoyed the character of Slappy the Dummy.  His cartoonish scheme and cackle had me laughing (although I am not sure it was always supposed to make me laugh, I did regardless).
    “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween” wasn’t a game changer or the most entertaining film I ever watched.  It was worth the ticket price though which you can’t say about every movie these days.  Most importantly, like the book series, it’s a fun few years to waste.

Grade: B-