The first year of the 90s brought us this Southwestern horror film, set in a desert hick town. Underground big and little monsters threaten to kill and take over the town as the town's residents crawl to the highest ground whenever available. A little campy here and there, but a nice monster flick.
The cast seemed a bit weird, with Kevin Bacon as the frontman (in a hillbilly role). Also you have Finn Carter (the young female lead), country singer Reba McEntire and Michael Gross. Nonetheless, they pulled it together. Valentine (Bacon) and his best friend Earl set out to leave the town when they discover dead people on the road and they figure out what's going on until its proven some sort of 'snake' killed them. With help from the seismologist (Carter) they discover its strengths and weaknesses. It all comes down to everyone trying to find ways to survive, while being cut off from the rest of the world.
As mentioned above, a bit campy and Bacon trying to be a redneck is a little funny. Part of the movie should be taken seriously, though, as we see people get killed. Sure, this can be classified as a 'horror' movie, but it also can be difficult what kind of genre to put this in. The only real bad thing about this movie is the sequels, which I haven't seen yet. I'm assuming they were the typical direct-to-video ones, where they recycle the plot, but who knows.
My rating: 7 out of 10
Showing posts with label kevin bacon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kevin bacon. Show all posts
Friday, March 21, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
02/24: National Lampoon's Animal House
Today we lost an important comedic icon who has held their place in making people laugh at the movies the last 40 years. Harold Ramis passed away at age 69 in Chicago today, which shocked just about everyone who didn't know about his life-threatening condition. What's more sad is that most people know him just as 'that guy from Ghostbusters'. Well, he was more than that...as he co-wrote several films such as Caddyshack, Groundhog Day and the one I'm about to review.
I am from the St. Louis area, and it is very cool to share the same city as some famous people who have resided here at some point. Mr. Ramis attended Washington University outside St. Louis. While he was there, he was in a fraternity. Today I drove on Forsyth Blvd in Clayton (a St. L suburb), and according to legend, Ramis was inspired to write Animal House after being part of a fraternity house located on that road. While he made Chicago mostly his home, Ramis was recognized for his short efforts in St. Louis and was awarded a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame (located on Delmar Blvd, also known as the Delmar Loop).
Alright....on with the review! Most of you know this has become an American classic. Set in the innocent-era 60s, this movie made college fraternities more popular than ever. Plus, it made stars of Stephen Furst, Kevin Bacon, and perhaps the most important, John Belushi. And of course, let's not forget Ramis. The whole movie is revolved around the Faber College's most hated, underachieving Greek group, Delta Tau Chi. We do see typical pranks among the other fraternities, but it turns into a brutal war becoming Delta vs. Faber. And of course, we see the girls! Basically, its what every college kid that goes away from home, a life that he dreams of.
Some of my favorite moments in the film: John Belushi ('Bluto') singing 'Louie, Louie'; the horse and the gunshot; the food fight along with 'I'm a zit!', and the 'speech' Bluto gives to his hopeless frat brothers before the parade.
My most favorite types of movies are 'coming-of-age' films, and this definitely belongs in that category. I always find the movie fun and worth watching over and over. However, I have never taken interest in joining a Greek fraternity, as I always had weird thoughts about those groups. This movie, without doubt, earned its share of criticism for being one of those college movies which showed the stereotypes among frat boys. I'd still watch it, no matter how old you are. Or at least until your senior year of high school.
R.I.P. Harold Ramis (1944-2014)
My rating: 8 out of 10
I am from the St. Louis area, and it is very cool to share the same city as some famous people who have resided here at some point. Mr. Ramis attended Washington University outside St. Louis. While he was there, he was in a fraternity. Today I drove on Forsyth Blvd in Clayton (a St. L suburb), and according to legend, Ramis was inspired to write Animal House after being part of a fraternity house located on that road. While he made Chicago mostly his home, Ramis was recognized for his short efforts in St. Louis and was awarded a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame (located on Delmar Blvd, also known as the Delmar Loop).
Alright....on with the review! Most of you know this has become an American classic. Set in the innocent-era 60s, this movie made college fraternities more popular than ever. Plus, it made stars of Stephen Furst, Kevin Bacon, and perhaps the most important, John Belushi. And of course, let's not forget Ramis. The whole movie is revolved around the Faber College's most hated, underachieving Greek group, Delta Tau Chi. We do see typical pranks among the other fraternities, but it turns into a brutal war becoming Delta vs. Faber. And of course, we see the girls! Basically, its what every college kid that goes away from home, a life that he dreams of.
Some of my favorite moments in the film: John Belushi ('Bluto') singing 'Louie, Louie'; the horse and the gunshot; the food fight along with 'I'm a zit!', and the 'speech' Bluto gives to his hopeless frat brothers before the parade.
My most favorite types of movies are 'coming-of-age' films, and this definitely belongs in that category. I always find the movie fun and worth watching over and over. However, I have never taken interest in joining a Greek fraternity, as I always had weird thoughts about those groups. This movie, without doubt, earned its share of criticism for being one of those college movies which showed the stereotypes among frat boys. I'd still watch it, no matter how old you are. Or at least until your senior year of high school.
R.I.P. Harold Ramis (1944-2014)
My rating: 8 out of 10
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
02/18: Wild Things
So...did you do it?
No.
Then you got nothing to worry about....
That's one of my favorite conversational quotes. It was between Bill Murray's lawyer character and Matt Dillon's character Sam. Sam is a high school guidance counselor who is accused of rape by two female students, Suzie (Neve Campbell) and Kelly (Denise Richards), after they go to his house. It is later revealed that the whole thing is a set-up and numerous accusations and suits come up and the three of them hope to split the dough, which is 8 million.
There are several plot twists throughout the movie, as well as several backstabbing events, with not to GIVE IT AWAY (SPOILER), but until there is one person left standing. Of course, I'm not going to give it away who, but as you watch the movie, you'll pretty much get an idea. Greed and manipulation play important parts of the movie. The film is also described as trashy yet likeable.
I remember during the late 90s during the prime of the film's stars. Neve Campbell was 'the girl next door' and she seemed unstoppable with her endless string of hit films. But it all came to an end. (Reminds me of Alicia Silverstone) Same goes for Denise Richards and Matt Dillon. But you also have Hollywood veterans who play minor roles (Murray, Robert Wagner and Kevin Bacon) so I guess you can say this had an all-star cast.
This film is not for children, but for teens who are used to watching sexual situations, then hey, go ahead. The film is notorious for its overly usage of sex scenes, as well as the lesbian kiss, etc. If you would like to watch it for a late-90s trip in time, this would be great too. This was not much of a hit at the box office at the time (Spring of '98) but it became more popular post-theatrical run.
My rating: 6 out of 10
No.
Then you got nothing to worry about....
That's one of my favorite conversational quotes. It was between Bill Murray's lawyer character and Matt Dillon's character Sam. Sam is a high school guidance counselor who is accused of rape by two female students, Suzie (Neve Campbell) and Kelly (Denise Richards), after they go to his house. It is later revealed that the whole thing is a set-up and numerous accusations and suits come up and the three of them hope to split the dough, which is 8 million.
There are several plot twists throughout the movie, as well as several backstabbing events, with not to GIVE IT AWAY (SPOILER), but until there is one person left standing. Of course, I'm not going to give it away who, but as you watch the movie, you'll pretty much get an idea. Greed and manipulation play important parts of the movie. The film is also described as trashy yet likeable.
I remember during the late 90s during the prime of the film's stars. Neve Campbell was 'the girl next door' and she seemed unstoppable with her endless string of hit films. But it all came to an end. (Reminds me of Alicia Silverstone) Same goes for Denise Richards and Matt Dillon. But you also have Hollywood veterans who play minor roles (Murray, Robert Wagner and Kevin Bacon) so I guess you can say this had an all-star cast.
This film is not for children, but for teens who are used to watching sexual situations, then hey, go ahead. The film is notorious for its overly usage of sex scenes, as well as the lesbian kiss, etc. If you would like to watch it for a late-90s trip in time, this would be great too. This was not much of a hit at the box office at the time (Spring of '98) but it became more popular post-theatrical run.
My rating: 6 out of 10
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