SLITHER

Slither Movie Review

A meteor hits Earth, bringing with it an alien slug that soon enters the body of Grant Grant (Michael Rooker of Mallrats and Cliffhanger). Grant then transforms into a constantly growing slug-like creature and soon many smaller slug creatures terrorize the town, entering the bodies of people and turning them all into zombies with the mind of Grant. Now it is up to the town’s sheriff (Nathan Fillion of Firefly), Grant’s wife (Elizabeth Banks, Spider-Man 1-3), the town’s drunken mayor (veteran television actor Gregg Henry) and a teen girl (Tania Saulnier) to save the day. It had been a couple years since I watched this and I forgot how much I liked it. This movie is an outstanding blend of comedy, gore, horror and creature features with many nods to classic monster movies.

Monster awesomeness

Henry is a riot as the mayor and Fillion, Banks and Rooker are wonderful in their roles. There are tons of classic lines here too. There are a few genuinely creepy scenes in the movie, particularly when the slugs get into the Strutemyer house and follow Kylie out to the truck. The little girls are actually pretty scary in that scene! Pam from The Office (Jenna Fischer) also has a brief but memorable appearance as a police dispatcher. My only real complaint with the movie is that some of the gross out scenes are, well, too gross for my liking. Otherwise this is a very fun movie that I recommend.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 8

Slither Movie Trailer

JOY RIDE 2: DEAD AHEAD

Joy Ride 2 Movie Review

Melissa and her fiancé Bobby, along with Melissa’s sister Kayla and her date Nik, are on their way to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. Along the way their car breaks down. They walk through the desert of Utah until they come to a house that has not been inhabited for a while. In the garage they find a car and take it, but not before leaving a note, with Melissa’s phone number, promising to return the car once they get help. The car's owner (if you’ve seen the first Joy Ride you know exactly who it is) kidnaps one of them and the remaining three must follow the kidnapper’s instructions if they hope to get their friend back.

Trouble's waiting

This sequel to the 2001 original has some pretty intense and interesting moments, notably the game towards the end, but ultimately suffers from very poor writing. Some of the stuff in the movie is simply inexpiable and so bad it's distracting. Nick Zano (The Final Destination) turns in the strongest performance as Bobby and Nicki Aycox (Jeepers Creepers 2, Dead Birds) does a good job as Melissa. On the other hand, Laura Jordan is pretty bad as Kayla and Kyle Schmid (A History Of Violence, The Covenant) is absolutely dreadful as Nik, the self-proclaimed “third wave emo punk”, coming off as somebody doing a really bad impersonation of Matthew Lillard. Being a fan of Joy Ride, I really WANTED to like this movie, and I did like some parts of it, but there is just so much ridiculousness here that took a lot away from the film. Still, with some pretty good scenes and some intense moments, it’s not a total loss, and I did enjoy it a bit.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 6

Joy Ride 2 Movie Trailer

SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE

Shadow of the Vampire Movie Review

F.W. Murnau (John Malkovich) wants to make the ultimate vampire movie. He is denied the rights to Dracula, however, so he must change the title to Nosferatu, and the name of Dracula to Count Orlock (along with some other changes). He brings in the mysterious Max Schreck (Willem Defoe), an actor who always stays in character, to play the Count. Strange things start to happen around the movie as Schreck’s behavior gets more and more bizarre, but Murnau is determined to finish the movie no matter what it takes. It had been a few years since I watched this and I forgot how amazing the movie is. Defoe, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance, is outstanding as Schreck, and, Malkovich turns in one of his best performances.

Defoe bringing the creepy

Catherine McCormack's (Braveheart, 28 Weeks Later) performance as Greta is strong as well. The directing and the way this movie was shot are incredible. There is dark humor throughout the film, touching moments, and just plain creepy moments as well. The final scene is one of the greatest, most surreal scenes in film history. A note to all Twilight fans: This (and the actual film, Nosferatu) are what vampire films should be. I really cannot recommend this movie enough.

On A Scale Of One To Ten: 9

Shadow of the Vampire Movie Trailer