“Freaked” Movie Review

    How do I even begin a review for a film like “Freaked”?  I can tell you a stumbled upon it as a child and watched it mostly due to the fact Alex Winter was in it (I was a huge “Bill & Ted” fan).  I was fascinated by the movie and felt a bit special because no other kid I knew had seen this hidden gem.  I felt a bit special, like I was the only person allowed to see this movie (I was a kid after all).

    The film follows former child star Ricky Coogin as he accepts a deal to endorse a chemical called Zygrot 24 which acts as a toxic fertilizer in South America.  Ricky and his friend Ernie travel down to South America to promote Zygrot 24 where they cross paths with environmentalist Julie and trick her into accompanying them to a freak show run by Elijah Skuggs.  Skuggs ends up capturing the three and uses the chemical Zygrot 24 to transfer the trio into freaks to be used in his freak show.

    It’s impossible to review this film without noting how bizarre the humor is on top of a ridiculously insane and over the top premise.  This is the kind of film that could never be made now within the studio system.  Perhaps this is what sets the film apart the most.  The humor certainly isn’t highbrow and often relies on it’s gross out factor, but it also has a charm behind it because you can sense the passion that went into it.  It reminds me a bit of a Troma film with a larger budget and more experienced cast.

    Alex Winter, who stars and co-directed the film, provides a great performance which is quite different than his role in the “Bill & Ted” franchise.  This was Winter’s last non-cameo role until 2013.  I am a big fan of Alex Winter and if you ever have the pleasure of meeting him (he does conventions from time to time), he is one of the nicest and most appreciative stars you will have the pleasure to see.  I remember meeting him along with my mom shortly before she passed away and he was so wonderful to her and myself.  It was refreshing to see a celebrity who enjoyed meeting his fans and didn’t seem jaded by appearing at a comic convention.

    The rest of the cast was also entertaining in their supporting roles.  Randy Quaid was delightfully chewing up every scene he was in.  Megan Ward was also great in this film and I really wish her career took off more.  I remember loving Mr. T’s role as the bearded lady a lot and I am still surprised he took the role.  The film also featured a little “Bill & Ted” reunion with co-stars Keanu Reeves and William Sadler also appearing in the movie (although Reeves is almost unrecognizable).  The only cast member I didn’t love was pretty much Michael Stoyanov of “Blossom” fame.  I found his  performance to be too annoying.

    The film wasn’t released theatrically (except in a handful of theaters) because the Fox executive who saw it thought the film was too weird to be successful.  The film also did receive poor test screening performances and mixed to poor reviews upon it’s release but has since become something of a cult classic.  It’s easy to see why some people hate this movie while others adore this film.  I feel like most dark comedies become rather divisive but with this film’s unique humor as well as it’s makeup and animation effects, this film is a cut above most other dark comedies.

    Ultimately I believe this film was actually a bit ahead of it’s time and I think a lot of the humor was lost on people at the time.  It was self aware and cheesy.  It’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea and if you don’t enjoy self aware potty humor, this isn’t the movie for you.  If that sort of thing sounds interesting to you, I strongly advise you seek out the film “Freaked” and thank me later.

Grade: B

“Toy Story 4” Movie Review

    The original “Toy Story” movie remains one of my favorite animated movies of all time.  It was a cute and simple story which dealt with the building of an unlikely friendship.  The franchise continued to grow with two strong followup films and it appeared as if “Toy Story 3” was the end of line for Woody, Buzz, and company.  Needless to say, the franchise couldn’t stay in the toy chest for long and “Toy Story 4” graced the silver screen this summer.

    This possibly final chapter in the “Toy Story” franchise starts with Bonnie (the girl whom Andy gave the toys to) trying to adjust to life in kindergarten.  With the help of Woody, Bonnie creates a new toy at school made from a plastic spork named Forky.  Forky quickly becomes her favorite toy but Forky is a bit of a handful to the other toys since he has only recently become alive and still believes he is a spork.  Woody takes it upon himself to watch Forky in an attempt to find some meaning in his existence since Bonnie hardly plays with him anymore.  Forky manages to get lost during a road trip and Woody decides to find him for Bonnie’s sake.  Once he finds Forky and the pair head back, he crosses paths with his old flame Bo Peep and the pair end up on an unlikely adventure to rescue Forky from Gabby Gabby. Gabby Gabby is holding Forky hostage in exchange for Woody’s voice box.

    I really enjoyed the movie overall although the ending was a little problematic for some people, including myself (I will get into that in a bit so just be warned there will be spoilers beyond this point).  That being said, the film is still yet another winner for the long running “Toy Story” franchise and provides an appropriate swan song for Woody.

    The voice cast was amazing and it was nice to hear Randy Newman’s score in the film since he provided the music for the other film’s in the series.  The new characters in the film were also compelling and added a breath of fresh air to the film.  Forky and Duke Caboom were among the highlights of new characters in the film.  The humor of the film was accessible to all audience members and everything you would expect from Disney and Pixar.

    Now, let’s talk about the ending of the film...you’ve been warned!!!  So, the film ends with Woody leaving his friends and Bonnie to be with Bo Peep.  Now, as far as Woody finding love again, that part I loved.  Woody had spent so much time in this film series bringing happiness to others, it was nice to see him finally find happiness of his own.  What the ending messed up a little on, in my view, was successfully closing the book on Woody’s friendship with the other toys, especially Buzz.  I understand the moral of the ending was supposed to be that friendship sometimes means having to let someone go for their happiness, but it needed more of an emotional punch to it.  Woody and Buzz deserved it in the film, and we deserved it as an audience.  Since the film focuses so much on Woody and Bo Peep, the other toys felt very slighted as a result.

    Now, while the ending may not have had the emotional wallop I felt the film deserved, the movie was still very good and surprisingly fresh.  It managed to tell a relatable story of how moving on is difficult when you are trying to find your place in the world after you have lost everything (which is definitely a message most older audience members can relate to).  This film has a lot of heart and while it isn’t perfect, it is still pretty amazing.

Grade: A-

“John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum” Movie Review

    Well I am a little behind on my updating my blog with new movie reviews this week due to a mini vacation I took to Cedar Point this week.  I have many new reviews from movies Mill Creek Entertainment provided I still need to finish and a few others I have been working on.  Still, the other day we decided to catch a movie to cap off our little vacation so we both settled on “John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum”.

    The film follows former assassin John Wick on the run after a huge bounty is placed on his head.  Assassin after assassin try to kill John Wick as he leaves New York for Casablanca to try to get his excommunicado status waived.

    Now, I really enjoyed the first film in the series but I actually have not seen the second movie yet.  The first movie caught me off guard with how well done it was and how good Keanu Reeves was in the film.  Going into this movie however, I had an idea of what to expect.  This movie delivered exactly what I expected it would, killer action.

    The film starts off with action immediately and doesn’t let up until the credits roll.  This non-stop action approach typically doesn’t work well in most cases but it actually turned out fairly well for this movie.  Much like “Mad Max: Fury Road”, the fact that you already know the character from previous installments already gives you a sense of investment in them and makes you care what happens to them at the end.  The film doesn’t have to give you room to breath as a result (although it doesn’t work as well as a stand-alone movie as a result).

    What makes the John Wick movies feel so special is that Hollywood doesn’t really make action movies like these anymore and when they do, it is usually a sequel to an 80s franchise with an aging star.  While Keanu Reeves isn’t a young man, it doesn’t look his age at all and he is still a good decade or so younger than someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone.  The film also embraces elements of noir films in it’s visual style.  This helps set it apart from many other films because it literally has a unique look of it’s own.

    Keanu Reeves once again returns to the franchise as John Wick and delivers another great performance.  Joining him on his adventure this time is Halle Berry as a woman who owed John Wick a debt that he cashed in on.  Berry does a very good job creating a character you relate to in a short amount of time.  Also joining the cast is Mark Dacascos as the main assassin after John Wick.  Dacascos’ character of Zero is both threatening and amusing because he is a bit of a John Wick fanboy and sees himself as a mirror of John Wick.  It is good to see Dacascos in a more prominent role since “Brotherhood of the Wolf” and the tv series “The Crow: Stairway to Heaven” seem like forever ago.  Stuntman Chad Stahelski directed the movie and his love for in-camera stunt work is front and center in this movie.  Interestingly, Stahelski was Brandon Lee’s stunt and body double on “The Crow”, meaning that he and Dacascos essentially played the same role in two different projects.  Rounding out the cast are returning “John Wick” stars Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick.  All three men help elevate the project from a standard action film.

    “John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum” delivers on the action and leaves you on the edge of your seat until the end.  You more than get what you paid for with this movie ticket, that’s for sure.  While I didn’t think this third chapter was as good as the first movie as far as the story, it was still a thrill ride best seen on the big screen.

Grade: B-