Watching Movies Nov 1

For a movie where Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein become Bonnie and Clyde lovers on the run in the 1930s, it's kinda boring. Was a character study the right approach for this? The oddball romance didn't spark and the script meandered with no escalation. It's no Unnatural Born Killers. The pop culture mash-up wants to be daring and fun and relevant to today's youth, but it was just forced and calculated. Throwing in Puttin' on the Ritz was a step too far. Jessie Buckley is great and I liked the concept and the period production, but I would have rather watched one of Jake Gyllenhal's musicals. 

I shouldn't have watched two Dracula movies in the same month, but I'm tired of seeing the same old story told over and over again. Of course, I knew that going in, but this was nothing more than an exercise in style and I was completely bored. It didn't help that Count Orlac sounded like Nandar from What We Do in the Shadows (but for some reason all the Germans had nice British accents). It lacked the period authenticity and obscure American folklore that made Eggers Witch and The Lighthouse so compelling, and it was more like illustrating a novel instead of telling a story. 

The Philippou brothers improve on their first horror film with a stronger story, fewer characters to focus on, and better actors. Both films use grief to drive the horror and ground the characters without being dour. The supernatural elements are kept vague enough that you can't question their logic. This one is also visually richer despite the limited locations. Better all around and I'm excited to see what they do next.

The Racka Racka Philippou brothers showed how great action scenes should be made back in their Youtube days, and I always expected their first film to be an action movie, so it's surprising that they made straight-forward horror movie about a magic hand lets you talk to the dead. Even more surprising is that it has a strong script, well-developed characters, and is expertly made. The gimmick is built around a few specific rules and raises a lot of questions, but it delivers twists and thrills where you're never sure where it's going, which is a good thing.

I almost turned this one off when the main character kept doing the stupidest things, but it turned itself around into a fun if implausible horror movie. Creggar's Weapons amplifies the same concept and improves upon it. 

Trick 'r Treat just wants to deliver spooky Halloween thrills and it's hard to fault the movie for doing just that. It doesn't offer anything else, but I liked how the four stories were intertwined and I can see people throwing it on annually just for the thick holiday mood. Brian Cox puts on a good show but there's not much else that's notable.

A TV movie that does something different with vampires, and I enjoyed the lean, no nonsense production values and brisk pacing even if it lacked sincerity. The vampire was not menacing, but it was all tongue-in-cheek enough to work. I was hoping for some twist or surprise ending, but it was straight-forward as TV movies are, with Derrick McGavin having fun as the unflappable news reporter. 

It's not the worst movie ever made, but it's fun to pretend it is. Earnest, incompetent, and generally entertaining. I've seen this far more than it deserves.