Halloween Favorites

Halloween Hidden Gems

Some lesser known, forgotten about, or non mainstream movies to watch on Halloween. Enjoy!

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

This movie cracks me up every time I watch it. It's a spoof on the slasher genre but it's made so well that it's more than just a spoof movie. It doesn't rely on nudity and gore because that is in fact what makes a slasher movie, a slasher movie. It takes 2 red neck hillbillys and puts them in the middle of a group of teenagers who accidentally kill themselves one by one. The teenagers assume it's the rednecks that are eliminating their friends, but the audience knows this to not be the case, and it's just all a series of unfortunate, or for us, fortunate and hilarious, events.

There is gore, but it's not used to be shocking but instead poke fun, showing the audience that although the violence is real the situation is hilarious. The above video isn't a trailer, but it's an amazing set of scenes that really drive home the feel of the movie.  Do yourself a favor and WATCH THIS ON NETFLIX!

Monster House

I love this movie. I don't think it got it's due praise when it was released. Although a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes isn't bad, it is a much better film than that. Although animated, I wouldn't say this is for kids, sure there isn't much violence but it can be pretty creepy and adult-like. The biggest reason I love to watch the movie is because of the way it's filmed. This was ahead of it's time, and although it's pretty common now a days to see an animated movie filmed as if it's a live action movie, it was rare if not unseen back in 2006. When I say "filmed as if it were a live action movie" I mean that the camera isn't just flat and stationary, think of other animations like The Simpsons. Instead the camera moves with the action, think Transformers (bad movie, good example). It's a beauty to watch. On top of that, it's funny and has a very good if not surprisingly good, lore. If you haven't seen it yet, give it a try, if you've seen it already and just took it for a kids movie, give it another shot.

The Burbs

A forgotten classic. If you haven't seen this movie, it's a perfect PG Halloween movie. Tom Hanks is at his finest in this quirky and almost black comedy. Similar to Monster House, the entire movie takes place on one block and it creates a sort of wall around the outside world, where silly and strange things like this could happen, without the rest of the world knowing. In fact, it is almost exactly like Monster house.  There isn't much left to say except, if you like 80/90s Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher and Corey Feldman, this is the movie for you.

Cheep Thrills

I've recommended this in the past on here, but it's time to bring it back up. A dark comedy that really starts to grow increasingly tense. A couple of friends strapped for cash run into a wealthy man at a bar (Champ Kind) who dares them to do things for money. As the stakes get higher the dares are more perverted and violent. Although just as unbelievable as a slasher movie, it has more entertainment value due to it's premise alone. It's available on Netflix so give it a click!

A Film With Me In It

I think you've got the point by now, I like comedies, and dark comedies at that. This is a British flick and boy oh boy do the Brits have a dark sense of humor. It's sarcastic, ironic and at times frustrating if you don't take it for what it is, which is a comedy. I seriously crack up just watching the trailer above, although it comes with many spoilers. If you like Tucker and Dale, you'll like this.

Clue

One of my all time favorites. If you haven't seen this, you need to. The dialogue, ensamble cast and Tim Curry's performance are all top notch. It's a super entertaining movie, and I can watch it every time its on. Fast paced and PG fun.

Frailty

What a classic. Frailty is still in my top 30 of all time, (at least). Starring Mathew McConaughey and Bill Paxton, this movie is the complete opposite of all the movies above. Not much humor in this one, but you do get psychosis, demons, and murders, your typical Halloween fun. With that said it isn't a hokey slasher flick, this has some real depth and meaning to it. Honestly, giving away any of the plot will take away from watching the movie, so don't watch the trailer and don't read the synopsis, just watch! 

Identity

A guilty pleasure of mine that does fall into some common tropes. John Cusak, (Old John Cusak, in prime form) is stuck in a motel with a bunch of shady people due to a storm, of course, how typical. What starts to happen and unravel isn't so typical. It loses points for adding one too many twists at the end, but is an overall very enjoyable move to watch, if not pedestrian. This is for the person looking for the typical scary/thriller movie will be satisfied but at times, its more than just that.

Lucky

Reverting back to the dark comedy genre, Lucky is a well directed and well acted fun flick. Synopsis? A gold digger marries a lotto winner, who happens to be a serial killer. As she learns about his secret, she starts to help cover it up so she can keep some of that money. Very fun premise and a very fun movie, if you can find it.

The Voices

Ryan Reynolds has always been underrated, until Deadpool, but he's had some great indie movie previous, check out Mississippi Grind, for example (not a Halloween choice). Voices stars him and Anna Kendrick in a movie that is very similar to Lucky, except on a much darker level. It's direction is super creepy when it needs to be and it really sets the mood, even while it is trying to be a comedy. Ryan Reynolds is a bit of a nut job and can talk to his dog and cat, who convince him to murder people. Sounds super silly, but there are some moments of gruesome chills. On Netflix!

Death Proof

I'll admit it, I believe Tarantino has jumped the shark. I also believe that his best movie since Kill Bill 1, is Death Proof, which puts it in the top 4 of his movies of all time. Although it becomes an over the top, ridiculously gory, chase movie (which is the whole point of "Grind House" anyway), the first half hour is soooooo good. Does anyone know where that bar is? Because I wanna go.

The Shining

Perhaps the greatest directed horror movie of all time.

Pan's Labyrinth

This movie floored me the first time I saw it. It's directed so beautifully, yet creepily that I wonder what happened to Guillermo Del Torro. Hell Boy, Pacific Rim, god help me. Anyway, it's subtitled and it's more of a drama than anything, so it's not your typical Halloween movie, but what else did you expect from me? I assume you've seen this if you're into movies, but if you are, and if you haven't do yourself a favor, buy it on blu-ray and watch it ASAP. Available on Amazon Instant Prime as well!

Top 10 of 2016

Top 10 2016

This list was hard to put together. As always, this will probably change. I still need to see movies such as Silence, A Monster Calls, etc. Nice Guys started off the list and kept creeping up higher, my number 1 has also changed multiple times. I'm still not satisfied with my #10, Manchester by the Sea is very close to taking that spot. With that said, as of right now, here is my list:

#10

Star Wars: Rogue One

Let's start with the bad. It felt rushed, at least the character development did. There wasn't much sense of motive, reason, rationale from the crew to take on this "mission" aside from Jin...and even Jin...to be honest. It all felt forced (no pun intended) and lazy. It felt like; "Well, we are all already here, so I guess we'll do it." Too convenient. The monk and his friend with he machine gun, they are nice people, they'll join the mission! This lead to a weak attachment to the characters and gave much less importance to their sacrifice. Even Jin, I didn't feel for her, or believe in her pain...did she have any? I thought all the characters fell flat and in a Star Wars movie, that's extremely disappointing.


The good. Although dark and dull, it truly had the feel and aura of the originals. I love the brightness and color of the Force Awakens, but it wouldn't have made sense in a direct prequel to "A New Hope". The technology, the costumes...it was all spot on. They did an amazing job of resurfacing nostalgia and just bringing back that original feel.

The best. Those final...7 minutes? Makes you want to pop in the original Star Wars VHS right away. Overall, not a great movie by any stretch of the word, but I'm a fan.

#9

Hacksaw Ridge

Mel is back baby! The director of Braveheart and Apocolypto has almost done it again! I say almost, because it's his 3rd best, but it's hard for anyone to surpass either of those movies. Hacksaw Ridge is a true story that is almost impossible to believe. While watching it, you will question how true to life it is as well all do with every "true story". However, right before the credits roll, they show from first hand accounts how true it is, and believe me when I say, it happened.

Andrew Garfield has never impressed me until now. He carry's this movie on his shoulders even if his character is a bit ho-hum. I love Vince Vaughn, and although he does a better job here than he does in True Detective, he's still distracting. Even when he does a good job of being serious, I still just want to laugh.

The movie works thanks to the acting of AG, the unbelievable true story and the direction. It's all pretty top notch.

#8

Nice Guys

At first view, I enjoyed this film but it felt a little too, I don't know...convenient...or forced? Because the director, Shane Black, also made Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, I had extremely high hopes for this second "buddy detective movie". Plus replace Downy Jr, with Ryan Gosling and Kilmer with Crowe, I was hoping for a home run. But the overall story fell a little flat for me and I didn't think the humor hit as hard as it could have. After 2nd and 3rd viewing, it has grown on me a bit more. 

It's still not as good as KKBB, but it has it's moments and I can't get enough of the GOS. It's over the top fun and has great dialog great for multiple views.

#7

La La Land

(GOS 2 in a row baby!) A lot of buzz lead to high expectations and although I had hoped for more, it's still a great movie. I was prepared for a very vivid, loud and uplifting musical and it was, however, the parts that hit home were the more quieter ones and emotional ones. For a musical, this might be sort of depressing, but for someone who isn't always fond of musicals it's a positive.

Gosling is always aces, and just outright funny, but Emma Stone who I generally don't enjoy, is great in this. I'm not one to comment on singing and dancing chops but I think she does a surprisingly wonderful job and it makes me appreciate her more than I ever have. I actually think she outshines my boy in this one. She deserves the Best Female Oscar.

Every shot in this movie is perfectly lit and setup. It's a visual wonder. Directed by the same guy who directed Whiplash. This guy has some skill.

#6

Nocturnal Animals

Not only is Jake Gyllenhaal great in everything he's in, he picks great things to be in. Nocturnal Animals is one of those movies that you'll love or hate. Initially I hated it, and then I got it...sort of? I'm still not exactly sure about the ending, and what it all means but I do know it's a very well made movie and Gyllenhaal's performance alone puts this in the top 10.

Regardless of the ending, the film had me feeling cautious and nervous right from the opening scene. Without spoiling anything, the film contains two separate (or not so separate) stories, both with their own unique look and feel. Admittedly, one of the story-lines is much more enthralling than the other, but that one half is strong enough to carry the entire movie. Gyllenhall is in that "better" half, and is great once again. I bought into the weakness, fear, anger and all other gambits of emotions his character goes through, partly because of him, and partly because of how realistic some of the scenes play out. One scene in particular just sends chills to the core and is just paralyzing. It's so realistic that it feels like a nightmare I've had.

I can't forget about Michael Shannon, he's perfect in his role. Amy Adams helms the "lesser" half of the movie, and although I generally love her, she doesn't get to do much here but be mopey and melancholy.

My only issue is the ending. The problem with the ending isn't the execution, because the movie does tie the two stories together well enough. It's just that there are a few things not fully explained that can be left open to interpretation. The film is based on a book, so I'll probably be nose deep in that soon.

#5

The Jungle Book

I've never seen the original, I don't have any nostalgic ties to it and yet I loved the Jungle Book. Hands down, the surprise movie of the year. There is something to say about a movie that comes out of nowhere and blows you away.

 I've seen it twice as a matter of fact, and it holds up even with high expectations. I can't imagine any fan of the original being disappointed by this, especially since Baloo is voiced by Bill Murray, how can you go wrong?. It's great story telling aided by spectacular special effects and a real sense of the jungle. If you haven't seen it, and even if you have no interest in it, I recommend it.

I keep trying to move this off the top 10 list, but it's such a solid movie and multi watch fun. If you love animals, just another reason to watch this.

One last tidbit, the ending credits are freaking amazing...

#4

Deadpool

You've heard me say it enough, but I'll say it one more time, I'm utterly sick of comic book movies. There's no weight to them anymore. Every sequel makes the previous iteration more insignificant. It's always a race against time yet I never feel any sense of urgency. The entire world and human race is always in peril and always gets saved. Forgive my French when I say, these franchises blew their load  way too early. It's hard to raise the stakes when you go from Loki to Ultron. Magneto to Silver Samurai, Green Goblin to Sandman, Joker to Bane. Whiplash to Guy Pierce? So not only do the bad guys get lamer, but they tack on more heroes to fight said lamer bad guys. It's a money pit and not worth our time.

There wasn't anywhere else for these movie to go, until Deadpool. Before Deadpool, all these movies tried to one up the previous one with more special effects, more fighting, more explosions, etc. Deadpool just changed the game. Deadpool, might be R rated, but it's not bigger, it doesn't try to save the universe, the world or even a family member, This is flat out a revenge movie. Deadpool avoids all the typical tropes and in doing so, is such a breath of fresh air.

Deadpool doesn't follow the mind numbing and horrifically slow progression of other superhero movies. When the movie begins, he's Deadpool. Sure we get some flashbacks and montage sequences into his origin, but I'll take that any day of the week over watching Batman's parents die for the 17th time. The bad guy is pretty lame here, but they set the bar low as far as villains go, which is a good thing! Let Deadpool take on progressively stronger villains, I'm fine with that! Let's not forget how freaking funny this movie is. Even though I personally don't love lowbrow humor and this has it's fair share of it, it has some really smart jokes in there as well. You'll find new jokes with every viewing. Ryan Reynolds was born to play this role, and we all know, I love me some Ryan Reynolds. This movie saved the superhero genre...not sure if that is a good thing, but it is what it is.

#3

Captain Fantastic

This year's "Room", Mr. Fantastic begins as one thing, and then ends as another. Viggo Mortensen, where have you been? I still firmly believe his performance in "Eastern Promises" is some of the best acting I have ever seen. He is great here, and hopefully this starts a career revival. I won't spoil the plot but the movie focuses on way a very hippie/holistic way of life and does a great job of not force feeding the viewer and while staying unbiased. This film is directed extremely well, and I look forward to some more projects from this rookie director.

#2

The Arrival

I said it last year, I quote, "Denis Villeneuve is the new David Fincher" and he did it again this year. The Director of last year's #2 Sicario and a new favorite of mine, Enemy, Villeneuve really knows how to create an atmosphere, specifically a dark and tense one. Arrival is not your typical alien encounter movie, there aren't any laser beams or explosions, and that's a good thing. This is definitely a thinking mans movie, one of those, after it's over you'll think so much, that your head hurts. Amy Adams, unlike in Nocturnal Animals, is up to snuff, and should earn a nomination for her work in this. Jeremy Renner, who I find always lack luster, gives a solid performance here and makes me think he's better fit for a nerdy role, than an action hero. And although Forest Whitaker is good here too, the real star is Villeneuve. It's dark, yet beautiful, confusing yet makes sense, tense yet fun. And that Gone Baby Gone type ending...See it!

#1

Hell or High Water

This is a "modern western". It's long, it has bank robberies, it has a sheriff, it has Indians, it has shootouts, it's fantastic! What could have been a typical and "it's been done before" movie, stands out as one of the years best. The story fits the setting similarity to the western like bravado fits all the characters in the movie. Without the western type backdrop, it would fall flat but because these guys are cowboys, and they are all men of principal (albeit on different sides), it works and it works extremely well. Speaking of the characters, the 3 mains are all acted tremendously by their counterparts. Who knew Chris Pine could actually act? I think he deserves a nomination here. Who knew that Jeff Bridges still had it after movies like R.I.P.D and the Seventh Son? He's amazing as usual. Who knew Ben Foster...I did. Ben Foster has been underrated his entire career and it's about time he gets some attention! He is great here, although his character sort of implodes for no real reason other than, he's crazy. I didn't appreciate that lazy development, but I do appreciate Foster's acting. Even if you don't like westerns, this is a tense, well acted thriller that should please most. It's my favorite movie of the year.