Horror

The Addams Family

  • Title: The Addams Family (2019)
  • IMDb: link

The Addams Family Blu-ray reviewWhile the look of the animated remake of the 60s television show offers some intriguing designs, too much of the script flounders. After an introduction which offers up both the marriage of Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia (Charlize Theron) and the establishment of the family ni an abandomed insane asylum, The Addams Family jumps forward years to when a cookie-cutter suburban development moves in down the hill run by the maniacal Margaux Needler (Allison Janney).

Expected events unfold without much excitement or surprise as Needler riles up the community against its neighbors only to later be revealed to be the true monster. The tale offers some stand-out moments, almost all of which feature Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz) while her poor brother gets stuck in an extraneous subplot. The best of these could have all been done as shorts saving audiences from the drudgery of the rest of the film.

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Hellmouth #5

Hellmouth #5 comic reviewThe big finale of the first Buffy & Angel crossover of the rebooted universe is (like much of the crossover) a bit underwhelming with specific panels and moments that never-the-less stick out. In the conclusion, Buffy goes toe-to-toe with the Hellmother who is gathering her forces to rise out of the Hellmouth and invade the Earth (while sadly lacking any of the style of the Master).

In terms of the moments that shine, the sudden appearance of Buffy’s posse, including Kendra and a giddy Camazotz who is finally able to help the Slayer, provides some of the best panels of the issue. I am curious to see the comic develop Kendra (who I hope will get a little more time as a Slayer than the original). I’m also curious to see where the foreshadowing of Anya‘s words with Giles ultimately lead.

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Hellmouth #3

Hellmouth #3 comic reviewThe third issue of the crossover event between Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer catches up with the two characters who followed Drusilla inside the Hellmouth.

After the pair find a bit of common ground and mutual respect by kicking some serious ass inside the mouth of Hell, the comic’s most memorable moment comes with Buffy‘s discovery of Angel‘s nature (ending the issue before the vampire with a soul can explain his complicated history). These two certainly aren’t starting out as star-crossed lovers this time around.

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Us

  • Title: Us
  • IMDb: link

Us Blu-ray reviewUs is a creepy horror flick featuring evil doppelgangers rising up from the sewers hoping to kill off and replace the human race. The film is primarily centered around the Wilson family (Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Evan Alex), but opens the story broader as the scope of the attacks become realized. Writer/director Jordan Peele succeeds in creating a bizarre experience as each member of the family comes face-to-face with more murderous version of themselves (the tie-in to a carnival house of mirrors is a nice touch). While disturbing at times, and at times bordering on unintentionally funny, the film doesn’t have the payoff to elevate the film past a good genre film (and the late reveal was far from shocking).

Available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K, extras include outtakes, deleted scenes, and short featurettes on the main characters, shooting sequences from different perspectives, the actors, and the movie’s dancing scene. Horror fans should enjoy themselves here, although the film began to lose me the moment it tried to explain the existence of the red-jumpsuited evil clones.

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Scooby-Doo! – The Headless Horseman of Halloween

  • Title: The Scooby-Doo Show – The Headless Horseman of Halloween
  • wiki: link

Scooby-Doo! - The Headless Horseman of Halloween TV review

Today’s Throwback Tuesday takes us back to a Halloween-themed episode of The Scooby-Doo Show that pits Mystery, Inc. against the Headless Horesman. While attending a Halloween party as the guest of the great-great granddaughter of Ichabod Crane, Scooby-Doo (Don Messick) encounters a Headless Horseman on horseback who is after Gertrude Crane‘s “cursed” diamond necklace. Other than using Washington Irving‘s famous character, the episode is also notable (but not in a good way) for the appearance of Scooby’s cousin Scooby-Dum (Daws Butler) who fancies himself something of a detective (despite being dumber than a post). In the usual manner, the gang is able to put together enough clues to uncover the truth behind the haunting and the sudden reappearance of the legendary monster. While not one of the better mysteries, the Headless Horseman (both before and after he takes a head) provides a memorable villain for the episode.

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