Dog’s Movie House: “The Exorcist: Believer” A Mixed Bag That Pales In Comparison To The Original!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a question: have you ever seen a movie trailer that excited you but then found out that the trailer was the best part of the movie? I had that experience with “The Exorcist: Believer” a direct sequel to the classic film that is fifty years in the making. David Gordon Green, who had great success rebooting the Halloween franchise, takes a swing at an even more venerable classic. Continuing with the sports metaphor, Green fails to hit a homer and instead settles for a dribbling single up the third base line. “The Exorcist: Believer” has some decent things going for it, but it falls into the old exorcism tropes that haven’t changed in over fifty years.
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “Scream VI” A Very Good Continuation Of The Popular Franchise!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a look at “Scream VI,” the latest in the popular frachise that basically re-invented the slasher film back in 1996. This one is a direct continuation of the popular sequel from last year and it features the four survivors from that film trying to get on with their lives in The Big Apple as college students. They include siblings Sam and Tara (Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega) and the brother/sister duo of Mindy and Chad (Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding). Just when things are starting to get back to normal, a new Ghostface killer shows up and starts picking off Sam’s friends left and right in an unknown vendetta against her. Everyone is a suspect as the meta-movie now moves into self-mocking “franchise” mode and these rules are tougher than ever for our heroes to follow. Can they figure out the identity of Ghostface and stop him before the masked killer butchers them all?
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “Creed III” A Worthy Continuation Of The Rocky Spinoff Series!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a look at “Creed III” a wonderfully entertaining entry into the saga of Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) the son of the legendary Apollo Creed. Now retired as champion from the ring, Adonis is focusing on training the next generation of fighters at his gym as well as enjoying his life with his lovely wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and young daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). His good life is short-lived when the past comes back to haunt him in the form of Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors), an old friend who has just been released from prison after eighteen years. Damian, a former Golden Gloves champ, wants what he believes is his, which is a shot at the title, despite his age and inexperience as a pro. After using underhanded means to get what he wants, Damian then wants to complete his revenge by taking Adonis down in the ring. Creed not only has to face his toughest oppenent, but he also has to face his past.
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “Top Gun: Maverick” Rousing Sequel 36 Years In The Making!”
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a look at the long-delayed sequel to the 1986 classic piece of cinematic machismo, “Top Gun.” This one’s called “Top Gun: Maverick” and, despite the Covid-19 delays and restrictive filming conditions, I’m happy to say that “Maverick” not only honors its predecessor; it surpasses it in terms of sheer thrills and cinematic craftsmanship. At the forefront is the ageless (well, almost) Tom Cruise, slipping into the character of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell like a comfortable pair of old slippers. He and director Joseph Kosinski have made a rousing, old-school Hollywood blockbuster that is guaranteed to have audiences cheering, clapping, and laughing in their seats.
Continue readingDog’s Movie House: “Scream” A Worthy, If Somewhat Overly Clever, Edition To The Classic Horror Franchise!
Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog here with a frightening admission. I am getting old! Yes, I did just turn 50 a week ago, but that’s not the reason I’m saying this. It’s just that I realized that it’s been 25 years since the release of the first (and best) horror classic known as “Scream.” The brainchild of late horror master Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson, “Scream” was one of the first “meta” horror films that winked at the audience while scaring the hell out of them at the same time. By having its protagonists know the ins and outs of classic horror films and using those tropes to survive a killer stalking them, “Scream” was able to both make fun of and honor the horror genre in a way that made the slasher film both funny and scary at the same time. Now, several movies and a television series later, “Scream” has returned as the fifth installment and is more “wink-wink, nudge-nudge” than ever before. It’s also pretty good, tying in members of the old franchise with new characters and executing a few brutal kills along the way.
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