Change Your Image
pop1280
Reviews
Freakazoid! (1995)
"I must succeed!"
Freakazoid! is not as well known as Tiny Toons or Animaniacs, but was at least their equal in laughs and creativity. It was a great show with hilarious characters, a mix of sly, self-referential humor and utter absurdity. The quality of the animation varied wildly from episode to episode, possibly the latter shows were created more cheaply to stretch the budget when they found out they were not being renewed. Whereas the animation did fluctuate, the writing was never less than inspired. Highlights include the Johnny Quest parody, the running "poo gas" joke, and any episode with the Lobe. My favorite is a short piece featuring Freakazoid's new sidekick, a sock puppet. This episode is laugh out loud funny with innuendo I'm amazed got past the censor. Try and catch any episodes if Cartoon Network again reruns them, or if, miraculously, a DVD is released. They are well worth it.
28 Days Later... (2002)
It's Official!
That does it! Just the first three years of this decade have produced more good horror films than the entire ten of the nineties. The nineties had Candyman, Scream, Ravenous, and In the Mouth of Madness, and that was it. There were some good comedies with horror trappings (Tremors, Frighteners. Demon Knight), but those four films were it. In the last three years, though, we've had Devil's Backbone, Frailty, Session 9, the Others, the Ring, and Audition. Good stuff. There has been dreck, including two of the worst horror movies I've ever seen, House of 1,000 Corpses and Feardotcom, but we are really in a renaissance of horror films right now. 28 Days Later continues this good run with an intense, Romero inspired movie with scares, action, and good performances.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
Self-indulgence by Zombie!
This was the most self-indulgent piece of junk I've ever seen. It made Feardotcom look like Suspiria. When I heard Zombie was going to make a "real" horror film, not the post-Scream style flicks of late. I was enthusiastic. I missed horror films that actually tried to scare you, and weren't post-modern and tongue in cheek. Since his announcement, however, the genre has really improved. Over the last three years we've had Audition, Session 9, Devil's Backbone, the Others, Frailty, and the Ring. More quality horror films have been released in the last few years than in the previous two decades. Then comes House of 1,000 Corpses, and an hour and a half of pointless, nihilistic posturing and interminable chase/torture sequences. People suffering isn't horror, Rob, it's just watching people suffering, and after a while it gets pretty boring. I'd worry about anyone who would enjoy this, but none were to be found at my theater. The plot is MIA and the characters just seem to be there to add figures to the McFarlane Movie Maniacs line. Boring and dull, but it thinks it's terrifying. 1/10
The Ring (2002)
one of the most effective horror films ever
The Ring is part of the little horror film renaissance that has occurred over the last two years, after the 80s and 90s produced so very few good fright films. The last two years have seen Devil's Backbone, the Others, Frailty, Audition, and Session 9, an output that rivals the entire run of the previous two decades. Not to say that is all roses, the Dark Castle films, especially 13 Ghosts and the truly awful Feardotcom, are terrible films that represent everything bad about American horror. Now comes the Ring, a vast improvement over the original Japanese version, and a truly scary film. I can find no real fault with any aspect of the movie, and it stuck with me for weeks afterwards. Of particular excellence is the Ehren Kruger screenplay. The Ring also features the best aerial photography I've seen in any film, even ones outside the genre. The Ring is a great film, and one that I think will be remembered.