Reviews

What makes Tales from the Crypt so fun is not the horror. Let's be honest, you can get better horror in a lot of other places. No, the bread and butter of Tales from the Crypt is its antagonists. People so awful, so ruthless, so irredeemably morally and ethically horrible, that when they finally get their comeuppance, the part of the human soul that yearns for justice rejoices. That's what always draws me back to the show. And Fitting Punishment has, for my money, the absolute most infuriatingly terrible antagonist of any episode. Moses Gunn's portrayal of the mercilessly greedy, stingy, uncaring, and vicious Ezra Thornberry, totally steals the show here, and makes for a climax that is dripping with delicious justice sauce. There are definitely episodes of Tales from Crypt that are scarier. There are ones that are funnier. There are ones that are more interesting. But if, like me, your favorite part of watching shows like this is watching awful people get what's coming to them in brutal, ironic, and often fitting ways, then this is the episode for you.

The great thing about Goon is that, when you get right down to it, it's not a sports movie. It's not even really about hockey in the sticks and skates sense of the word. Any fan of hockey can tell you, to great length, about the bizarre and unique position of the Goon, a player with minimal hockey skills, who is utilized solely to defend the more talented players, keep defenders from the opposing team honest, and beat the snot out of someone, should the need arise. It's a niche talent, yet an important one in terms of motivation, spirit, and tone of a hockey team. That's what this movie is about. It's about utilizing the gifts you were given, carving out a place in the world for you and your talents, and the basic human need to belong to something greater, a team, a romantic relationship, a family. The movie goes out of its way to tell you that protagonist Doug "The Thug" Glatt is NOT a hockey player. All Doug wants is to wear a uniform and use his talents to help the people he cares about, and I think we can all relate to that.

On a more technical note, the performances of the film are exceptional, particularly those of Seann William Scott, who gives the best performance of his career, for my money, as the simple, kind-hearted Glatt, and Liev Schreiber as another veteran Goon, Ross "The Boss" Rhea, looking to go out swinging. It also features hilarious performances from Jay Baruchel as the wisecracking best friend, and Kim Coates, Kim Coates-ing it up as the coach of Halifax. But what surprised me was how well the movie functions as both a comedy and a surprisingly sweet love story.

Long story short, don't let the title of this movie throw you off. Goon is an excellent film.

I've watched this film at least twice a year for a quarter of a century, and the last time I watched it, I realized something: this film is an anomaly. It shouldn't exist as a classic of comedic cinema yet, against all odds, it does. The story is pretty unimportant and there is almost nothing in the way of cogent plot or character development. Furthermore, it objectively fails as pretty much any formulaic type of comedy film. It fails as a romantic comedy, it fails as a coming of age story, and it fails as a class comedy despite its tagline of "the snobs against the slobs". However, like a McDonald's cheeseburger, it's greater than the sum of its parts. Taken individually, their ingredients are awful. But when you put them together, I don't know, it just works. I'm of the opinion that the reason that it remains a classic, and that countless golfers across the world chant "na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na- na-na-na" as they putt, is squarely on the shoulders of the brilliant performances of the cast. Some of the greatest comedic actors of that era, namely Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, and Chevy Chase, are firmly on their A Game here, and are absolutely sublime in this film. And with the help of the great Harold Ramis behind the camera, they raise these characters that should've been easily forgotten to some of the most quoted in the history of comedy. It shouldn't have worked, but it did. This film is not for everyone. If you aren't tickled by these performances, then there's very little to hold your interest. And I get that. But that's the way comedy works. It either hits you or it doesn't. And this film still makes me laugh out loud every single time. And I imagine that it probably always will.

Tales From the Crypt is one of my all-time favorite shows, and this is one of my very favorite episodes, especially from the final season which was pretty weak. The most common criticism of this episode is that it seems so out of place in a show like Tales From the Crypt. I would say that it is, but it isn't.

Tales From the Crypt had its share of horror, gore, dismemberments and the like, and those are among the most popular and memorable episodes, sure. But the most prominent theme of the show, for me, was that trademark bitter irony. Those letdown endings in the style of The Twilight Zone are what make this show, in my opinion. And 'The Kidnapper" is one of those episodes.

Coogan does an outstanding job portraying a character that slowly drains all the sympathy you start out having for him, while offering a creepiness outside of the usual monsters, axe-wielding Santa Clauses, werewolves, etc. It's a subtle performance, but a good one.

I highly recommend this episode for when you're willing to step outside of the traditional horror aspects of the show and see something different, yet still quite disturbing.

When I first heard that Bruce Campbell was going to reprise his role as chainsaw-handed slayer of Deadites, Ash Williams, I was skeptical. The Evil Dead series was fine the way it was, and Ash was always kind of a less is more kind of character to me, the less you knew about him, the better it worked. I'm glad to say that I was totally and completely wrong. This show delivers everything that I wanted and more. The show still has that trademark cheesiness, the slapstick comedy, Ash's raw machismo, and gore that is so righteous, that it's straight up gag-worthy at times. However, what really sets the show off, for me, is the supporting cast. For once, it's not a one man show where Ash has the only good lines and all the good slapstick moments. Everyone from the great Lucy Lawless who looks better and rocks as hard as she ever did, to living legend Lee Majors as Ash's father, completely crush their roles and give Bruce Campbell and Ash Williams the supporting cast that they deserve. If for nothing else, this show should be required viewing for anyone that wishes to dust off a classic and carry it over and continue it in another medium. It pleases the fans without pandering to them with excessive fan service, (looking at you, JJ Abrams), updates the characters well, delivers everything you want, and delivers everything you didn't even know you wanted until you got it. This show rules. Plain and simple.

I think I'll begin with what Mad Max: Fury Road gets wrong, because there's not much. If you're looking for a film that contains thoughtful and provocative themes, you're in the wrong place. If you're looking for character development and plot exposition, you're in the wrong place. If you're looking for motivation in your villain that you can relate to on an emotional or psychological level, you're in the wrong place. If you're looking for a swaggering, charismatic hero who spouts one-liners (not that there's anything inherently wrong with that), you're in the wrong place.

But, honestly, who's looking for that in a Mad Max movie?

Without a doubt, Mad Max: Fury Road delivers exactly what was promised: incredible, long, pulse-pounding action sequences, frantic cinematography, gorgeous, yet practical visual effects, and steady, stable performances by Hardy and Theron juxtaposed beautifully against the unbridled, over-the-top madness of the horde that relentlessly pursues them.

In short, everything you could ever possibly want in a Max film.

In terms of the performances, I must admit that I had my reservations in regard to how Theron and Hardy would fare in this film, particularly with Theron, as I had never seen her in a film like this. I have to say that I was pleased with both. Theron's portrayal of Furiosa as a tough, yet sensitive warrior for basic human rights, while a bit of a cliché these days, was more than adequate for this film, and endearing in its own right. As far as Hardy's portrayal as Max, or more specifically the role that was written for him, I felt it was both different and fresh, yet true to form for the iconic role. Max says very little, mostly mumbling throughout the scenes, in fact spending a surprising amount of the film's time literally muzzled. His cold stare across the desert sands is really the main prerequisite for Max, and Hardy does it well. He won't win any Oscars for the performance, but he does the role justice. It's kind of refreshing really, to watch the hero play second fiddle to his female lead, and just kind of stand to the side and let the action speak for itself.

What really impressed me the most about the film was the fact that I think it's very clear exactly what kind of movie George Miller wanted to make. It's 85% action sequences, basically being equivalent to a two-hour long car chase, an apocalyptic demolition derby in the desert. And although the action begins to peter off by the third act of the film, or rather seem less profound, perhaps, for a film to go as hard as it does for as long as it does is definitely noteworthy. Our hero speaks mainly in mumbles, and takes a back seat, in my opinion, to Furiosa, and the film uses mostly practical visual effects, which, I'm sad to say, is against the norm in today's film making. A welcome change that I hope echoes into other films. It doesn't really break any new ground, but its operation within the parameters of the kind of movie that we would expect is nearly flawless.

Bottom line: George Miller takes risks delivering a movie like this to the cynical film audiences of today, and it pays off big. This film is long on action, visuals, and bone-crunching sound, and short on pretty much anything else. And that's perfectly fine with me. It's been thirty years. Welcome back, Mad Max. We missed you.