The Life and Times of a Midwestern Movie Addict

Ok, there are many films and television shows from my childhood that had not successfully stood the test of time.  Mighty Morphin Power Rangers makes my head hurt (though on a dull summer day and you might catch me playing with my old Zords...and then I'll deny it and say I was dusting), "New Kids on the Block" are more campy than cool, and the non-Disney renaissance films from other companies all have the tangy odor of aged cheese.  Does that mean I can't enjoy these elements due to nostalgia?  Certainly not...rather, I embrace the slightly embarrassed "Oh my god, did I watch this?" feelings when I go back to revisit something I thought was amazing as a child.  It is this 'duel-mindedness' that I think helps me to still appreciate my inner-child's memories while also indulging my palate in new experiences.  However, this blog isn't about philosophy...its about movies and I have a humdinger of a film for you today.  It seems caught in a sort...

The early 90s were a magical time for a child because it seems that every film idea that was based on a 'kid' property was being made.  The Ninja Turtles were tops at the box office for several years in a row, the Transformers had already been a minor hit in the 1980s and Disney was still churning out quality product (and were now entering their Renaissance) but it wasn't long before film companies began developing films based on video games.  It was a great business idea for sure, many game franchises had been big sellers and were well established with both children and adults for several years thanks to Nintendo and Sega and animated programs such as "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show" had already shown that licensing out these characters for filmed work could be successful.  And so it came to be that 1993 saw America's first theatrically released movie based on a video game...and it would naturally be based on one of Nintendo's first and best loved franc...

Hollywood has very few genres that they still throw money at, regardless of the product they're selling, and one of those is the serial killer thriller.  Ever since The Silence of the Lambs burned up the box-office and the Academy Awards, Hollywood has been trying to recapture lightning in a bottle.  There has been some success, such as Seven and Sa w, then there are minor triumphs like Red Dragon and American Psycho , but like most genres that Hollywood often goes back to the well for there are more disappointments than there are failures.  Of course, like all genres, the films that interest me most are the under-appreciated or underrated films.  The ones that are very good and yet never got the recognition they deserve.  One of my absolute favorites stars one of my absolute favorite actresses alongside another powerhouse actress...which already makes one wonder why it wasn't more successful the year it was released.  However, thanks to being released al...

Ok ok...I did have a several week period where I was too busy to write here on the blog (namely during production week for Sound of Music, the trip to Universal right afterward, and then a visit to my sister's place in Nashville right after that) but the last two weeks I've had no excuse to get back into the writing game.  To be honest, I just forgot about the blog because there was so much going on.  But don't worry friends, I am back and here to bring you another slice of madness courtesy of my every so eclectic and bizarre tastes.  Tonight I'll be bringing you a taste of terror from the 1970s that is regarded as one of the granddaddies of the still-vital slasher craze.  At a time when the youth of America were living free while conservative elders looked on disapprovingly and doling out restrictions and punishments to these crazed teens, one director decided to use the traditional American family as the base for a tale of terror.  What began then was a franch...