Because He’s allowed this to be made:
What the heck.
I hope Toby Keith isn’t reading this, or he might put a boot in my…
—Richard Hall, NewsOK.com intern
Movies
Archived Posts from this Category
One of the best scenes from a “Batman” film ever. Enjoy.
—Richard Hall, NewsOK.com intern
In 24 hours I will be sitting in my comfortable reclining auditorium chair at Warren Theaters in Moore, anxiously awaiting “The Dark Knight.” Where will you be at 12:01 a.m. Friday? I hope it’s someplace memorable.
—Richard Hall, NewsOK.com intern
This might seem petty and it might seem sarcastic, but the following bit of information is the worst news I’ve had all summer.
Rumors are Rob Cohen is planning to remake “The Monster Squad.” This is bad for several reasons:
1) Cohen was the executive producer of the original “The Monster Squad,” and if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
2) Cohen’s most current resume includes films like “The Fast and the Furious,” “xXx” and “Stealth.” Shudder.
3) “The Monster Squad” is one of the greatest children adventure movies of all time. I will stand by that statement 130,000 percent. It’s”The Goonies” mixed with a horror theme. Excellent.
4) Remakes are never as good as the originals.
“The Monster Squad” is one of my favorite movies of all time. It was released in 1987 and tells the story of a motley crew of kids that have to battle the forces of horror movie evil. The kids find ways to battle the Wolfman, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster and Dracula himself. Holy cow, awesome!
I was about 4 or so when my folks began getting me into films. You know, the Disney and Pooh Bear types. Then one day, while with my dad at the local video rental store, I stumbled across “The Monster Squad” in all its VHS glory. A little scared at first, I picked it up, looked at the neat and (then) terrifying pictures, and decided I had to see it. I fell immediately in love. Of course, I was 4, and 4 year olds don’t typically have taste. But aside from being infatuated with “Star Wars,” I think this was the first time in my childhood life when I made a supreme decision, and it has stuck with me all these years.
That trip back to my abode with “The Monster Squad” in hand was the first of many. I am not lying when I tell you my dad rented the film for me at least three times a month, for a very long stretch of time. Keep in mind, this was way back when rentals - new releases or not - were for one, maybe two, days. Weekends were a blast, and I began quoting the film, and also pretended to be an honorary member of the Squad.
But then I began growing up, and my love for films grew. I own a copy of “The Monster Squad” on VHS, and it doesn’t work anymore. And for the longest time I yearned to watch it again, but I could never find a copy close to home, and once high school hit, I no longer had a VHS player.
And it was several years ago that I began Googling about the film, and I found there were quite a few online petitions to get “The Monster Squad” released on DVD. And almost one year ago to the day, on July 24, 2007, the prayers were answered. While on my way to work, I stopped by Wal-Mart and grabbed my copy. I was the happiest man alive that day, because it brought back so many memories. Looking at the now not-so-scary photos on the DVD cover, I remembered holding my dad’s hand while perusing the video rental store. I remembered wearing myself out with laughter because the Squad finally settled the debate: Wolfman, does indeed, have nards. I remembered being a kid.
There aren’t many times that happens these days.
So while the title of this post is a bit sarcastic, I will admit a huge chunk of me would be disappointed if “The Monster Squad” is remade. It’s a cult classic, a childhood favorite and an all-around great movie. It’s fun, inventive and comical. It’s memorable. It’s “The Monster Squad.”
If you haven’t seen this movie yet, please do.
And please, Mr. Cohen - don’t deface a good thing.
-Richard Hall, NewsOK.com intern
Doesn’t contain spoilers of any kind, but if you’d rather not see the opening scene, then ignore this post.
—Richard Hall, NewsOK.com intern
Check out what Guillermo del Toro calls the brother to “Pan’s Labyrinth.”
“The Devil’s Backbone” is a haunting, haunting film. It shares a lot with “Pan’s Labyrinth,” but definitely stands on its own two feet. It was released before “Pan’s Labyrinth” and had a limited United States distribution. You can find it on DVD fairly easy.
Del Toro wrote it while he was in college, and it took him about 16 years to see his vision come to life. Besides 1993’s “Cronos,” “The Devil’s Backbone” was del Toro’s first recent gripping cinematic experience, being released in 2001.
In a way, giving a synopsis of the film in less than 500 words is tough, but I’ll do my best:
The film follows Carlos who lives in an orphanage in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. In the orphanage’s courtyard sits an undetonated bomb, and a child named Santi died during the attack. Carlos is given Santi’s old bed, and from the moment Carlos arrives he begins seeing and experiencing odd things. Soon, Santi’s ghost reveals itself to Carlos, and Carlos learns the truth surrounding Santi’s death. Though a war surrounds the school, a war also brews inside its walls as Carlos seeks to avenge Santi.
The Mexican poster:
The American DVD cover:
A screenshot from the film:
—Richard Hall, NewsOK.com intern
