Tag: houses

The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz ( book ) … L Frank Baum

The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz ( book ) ... L Frank Baum

This modernized fairy tale, about an orphan named Dorothy who gets blown away to a magical land during a Kansas cyclone, could’ve lived up to its grandiose title if it were about a quarter shorter. The storyline reaches its thematic peak during the Balloon chapter, XVII of XXIV, which makes for an ending that’s somewhat anticlimactic.

It’s consistently cute though, mostly due to the unlikely friends Dorothy meets along the way. There’s The Scarecrow, who has no brains, The Tin Woodman, who has no heart, and The Cowardly Lion; the three of whom join Dorothy, and her dog Toto, on a quest to Oz’s City Of Emeralds to get their wishes granted by the Godlike Wizard.

my rating : 4 of 5

1900

review : The Marvelous Land Of Oz ( book ) … L Frank Baum

video review : Halloween

video review : Halloween

The Halloween series resets itself again, this time all the way back to the 1978 original. It’s a remake by Rob Zombie and easily the best movie in the franchise. That’s mostly due to the liberties it takes with the plot, a third of which focuses, close-up and shaky, on “Mikey” as a psychopathic child.

Character backstories are usually best left untold, or at least kept to a minimum, especially the enigmatic Bogeyman type, but the case study of Michael Myers, led by Malcolm McDowell as doctor Samuel Loomis, lends a layer of poignancy to the later kill scenes. It also explains why he wears the mask.

my rating : 4 of 5

2007

video review : Halloween : Resurrection

video review : Halloween : Resurrection

If you’re wondering how Michael Myers is Resurrected after having his head chopped off, stop. You’re being logical and the Halloween world, which revolves around a town called Haddonfield, is anything but. The secret to sort of enjoying this episode, which, along with H20, make the third pair that go together in the series, is to embrace its ridiculousness.

Resurrection is directed by Rick Rosenthal, the guy who directed Halloween 2, but you wouldn’t know it. Halloween 8 is a virtual comedy, a virtual parody, starring another rapper. First it was LL Cool J. Now Busta Rhymes basically plays Busta Rhymes. Other characters star on his live internet broadcast entitled Dangertainment. This movie should be a shitshow. It isn’t.

It’s not good by any reasonable stretch of the imagination, but it’s also not bad and not being bad is somewhat of a rarity for the Halloween series. The “continual” orchestral music is overdramatic and annoying, along with Michael’s signature breathing, but there’s enough happening plotwise; the internet bit is actually well utilized; to keep you somewhat entertained.

my rating : 3 of 5

2002