Special: Halloween Kills, Muppets: Haunted Mansion, Werewolves Within Mini-Reviews

Halloween Kills

Synopsis: Minutes after Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie's basement, Laurie is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, believing she finally killed her lifelong tormentor. But when Michael manages to free himself from Laurie's trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster. The Strode women join a group of other survivors of Michael's first rampage who decide to take matters into their own hands, forming a vigilante mob that sets out to hunt Michael down, once and for all. Evil dies tonight.

My thoughts: The previous installment breathed a lot of new air into this long struggling project, though I will admit I liked the Rob Zombie Halloween but just like that movie I was disappointed by the follow-up but unlike that one I didn't completely despise Halloween Kills, it simply didn't move the needle forward as much as I would've liked. Of course a sequel is already in the works so let's just hope this is the issue of a prolonged second act to get us to a worthwhile finale in it's own film.

Final verdict: 3.5 Shatner masks out of 5.

Muppets: Haunted Mansion

Synopsis: The Great Gonzo – world famous daredevil artiste, has done it all, seen it all, and survived it all. But on Halloween night, the fearless Gonzo takes on the greatest challenge of his life by spending one very daring night in the most grim grinning place on Earth …The Haunted Mansion.

My thoughts: This Muppets special won't gain many new Muppets fans. It's simply a situation where if you like the not quite a mop, not quite a puppet characters, you'll like this. Will Arnett and Taraji P. Henson seem to be having a blast making this which does show and Haunted Mansion gives us all the heart and soul we expect from a Muppets production. They've been a little hit and miss recently and this isn't a hit like past Muppets movies you fondly remember but not the misses like you recall as well. It's comfortable in the middle but given the track record of late you'll take that.

Final verdict: 3.5 Disney rides out of 5.

Werewolves Within

Synopsis: After a proposed pipeline creates divisions within the small town of Beaverfield, and a snowstorm traps its residents together inside the local inn, newly arrived forest ranger FINN (Sam Richardson) and postal worker CECILY (Milana Vayntrub) must try to keep the peace and uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature that has begun terrorizing the community.

My thoughts: Based off a VR game, which is based off a card game that I like, Werewolves Within, had a good set up and the movie kept you guessing. I felt like they focused a bit too much on the comedy element and not enough on the horror element unfortunately. But that was really the only downside as I felt this cast of relative unknows did well and the visual effects weren't too bad given the budget the filmmakers were working with.

Final verdict: 3.5 twists out of 5.

Special: Captain Marvel, Us, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part Mini-Reviews

First up we have some housecleaning to take care of... Drum roll please! Congrats to Chuck as it is (surprisingly) this years victor in the What TV Show Should I Watch Next March Madness poll. It beat 2nd place Lucifer by only 2 votes. Anyways on to this week's special.

Captain Marvel:

Synopsis: The story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

My thoughts: The theme of this mini-review is critically praised films that audiences don't quite agree on. And in the case of our first film, I have no idea Captain Marvel is a fun hit of 90's nostalgia in a modern day superhero flick. Brie Larson is amazing and gives us all hope for the next wave of Avengers movies even if RDJ and company don't make it out of Endgame. Not to mention Goose's amazing performance which should make him a shoe-in for Best Supporting Cator at the Oscars this year. Hopefully Carol takes a starring role in Endgame and leads the future Avengers teams.

Final verdict: 5 Flerkens out of 5.

Us:

Synopsis: Haunted by an unexplainable and unresolved trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, Adelaide feels her paranoia elevate to high-alert as she grows increasingly certain that something bad is going to befall her family. After spending a tense beach day with their friends, the Tylers (Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Cali Sheldon, Noelle Sheldon), Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home. When darkness falls, the Wilsons discover the silhouette of four figures holding hands as they stand in the driveway. Us pits an endearing American family against a terrifying and uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves.

My thoughts: This film, like Peele's previous effort, was a critical darling. Unfortunately, unlike Get Out, the public isn't nearly as enthused and sorry Jordan, I'm in the latter group. The film had it's moments but it was mostly slow moving with a hook that you can see coming from a mile away. At the end of the day Us is just fine, and that's a disappointing result given the hype that surrounded this movie but sometimes hype can drive expectations too high and that's what happened here. I'll still be looking forward to his next film nonetheless.

Final verdict: 3 doppelgangers out of 5.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part:

Synopsis: The much-anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed, global box office phenomenon that started it all, "The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part," reunites the heroes of Bricksburg in an all new action-packed adventure to save their beloved city. It's been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are now facing a huge new threat: LEGO DUPLO invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than it can be rebuilt. The battle to defeat the invaders and restore harmony to the LEGO universe will take Emmet (Chris Pratt), Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett) and their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds, including a strange galaxy where everything is a musical. It will test their courage, creativity and Master Building skills, and reveal just how special they really are.

My thoughts: Not as strong as the original or the Lego Batman film but certainly better that Ninjago. It's much of the same for our heroes in this sequel as they must fight evil all the while learning about family and love through live action cut scenes. The downside is this film is a little convoluted and the laugh factor isn't nearly as high but the visuals are still impressive enough to save it. Although I gave the original film 4/5 as well this is a much lower 4.

Final verdict: 4 Master Builders out of 5.

Special: Wonder Woman/Teen Titans: The Judas Contract/The Lego Batman Movie Mini-Reviews

Wonder Woman:

Synopsis: An Amazon princess (Gal Gadot) finds her idyllic life on an island occupied only by female warriors interrupted when a pilot (Chris Pine) crash-lands nearby. After rescuing him, she learns that World War I is engulfing the planet, and vows to use her superpowers to restore peace. Directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster).

My thoughts: What a breath of fresh air this film was. I'm trying really hard to think of a downside here but there just simply is not one. Wonder Woman delivers in spades, by the end credits, me, a nearly 30 year old man, thought how cool it would be to be Wonder Woman. The war scene is the best scene since the Chuch scene in Kingsman. The CGI and acting was top notch and each shot was filmed beautifully and was backed by a strong script. Gal Gadot, I had my doubts but you owned this.

Final verdict: 5 empowering kick ass scenes out of 5.

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract:

Synopsis: Tara Markov is a girl who has power over earth and stone; she is also more than she seems. Is the newest Teen Titan an ally or a threat? And what are the mercenary Deathstroke's plans for the Titans?

My thoughts: The DCAU continues to be a strong product for DC Comics as they've continue to produce quality films, their latest just might be one of their best ever. The Judas Contract is a long loved story and the most iconic Teen Titans one at that. In this film Dick returns to the Titans as Nightwing so we get a mixture of the older titans with a batch of young blood which is a nice change of pace as we've become accustomed to the same old Batman or the same old Justice League taking down new threats, this much like the original New Teen Titans comics gives us everything we loved about the earlier stuff but makes sure we don't get bored or complacent with the material, which is important given the Titans decades long history.

Final verdict: 5 double-agent teens out of 5.

The Lego Batman Movie:

Synopsis: In the irreverent spirit of fun that made "The LEGO (R) Movie" a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble - LEGO Batman - stars in his own big-screen adventure: "The LEGO (R) Batman Movie." But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker's hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.

My thoughts: Everyone loves Batman, so what does WB do? They make him a joke, and it is incredibly successful. They take all the camp that Batman was known for and all the brooding he's currently known for and mashed it up into a brilliant comedic art. Will Arnett voices this batman perfectly and the surrounding cast are equally as strong.

Final verdict: 5 Lego Batman villains out of 5.