My Review of Scooby-Doo (2002)

 

Written by James Gunn And Craig Titley

Directed by Raja Gosnell

Shaggy: "Gee, Scraps, you didn't have to freak out like a jerk and kill all humanity."

Scrappy Doo: "And I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you meddling sons of..."

With Netflix planning their own live action television series for this particular property, I thought it was time to go back and revisit the duology from the 2000s. It was something that had a mixed reception.

The movie started with Daphne Blake (Sarah Michelle Gellar) being captured by the Luna Ghost aka Old Man Smithers (Nicholas Hope). Once this mystery got resolved, there was a falling out with Daphne, the vain Fred Jones (Freddie Prinze Jr) and nerdy Velma Dinkley (Linda Cardellini). The falling out caused the Scooby Gang to disband, much to the dismay of Shaggy Rogers (Matthew Lillard) and Scooby-Doo (Neil Fanning).

Of course with enough time and a mysterious invite from Emile Mondavarious (Rowan Atkinson), the whole team were grudgingly reunited to solve a mystery on Spooky Island. It did take the promise of all you can eat buffet to tempt both Shaggy and Scooby-Doo to venture onto the island itself.

As for our gang, it was an awkward reunion with them all competing to solve the mystery. Velma quickly learn about the island having demons courtesy of actor N'Goo Tuana (Steven Grives) and his henchman, famous luchador Zarkos (Sam Greco). Daphne on the other hand had her own encounter with voodoo priest (Miguel A. Núñez Jr.).

As for Fred, both him and Velma got captured by demons on the loose while Shaggy had a romantic subplot with fellow tourist, Mary Jane (Isla Fisher), who happened to be possessed for a bit. There's a plot where the Gang had their bodies taken over and a random bit of body swapping that's largely played for laughs.

Getting to the actual villain of the story, I did assume it was going to be Emile and even Fred raised the possibility but the reveal of it being a vengeful Scrappy-Doo (Scott Innes/J.P. Manoux) actually made for a good surprise. It was a way of dealing with an often maligned character from that world.

- There's cameo appearances from the likes of Pamela Anderson and Sugar Ray.

- Daphne and Fred became a couple by the end of the movie and even Velma seemed to have a male admirer on Spooky Island.

- Standout music: Scott Storch's Freaks Come Out At Night as well as the variations of the theme.

- Chronology: Two years passed before the Scooby Gang ended up on Spooky Island.

Scooby-Doo (2002) definitely felt like a movie from a bygone era. The humour can be very hit and miss at times, even a bit too juvenile. It's largely saved by the cast bouncing off each other so well and the use of Scrappy-Doo.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Caravaggio (1986)

 

Written by Derek Jarman And Suso Cecchi d'Amico And Nicholas Ward-Jackson

Directed by Derek Jarmen

Caravaggio (to Ranuccio): "Give me your hand. For eternity and a day."

Last year and for the first time I sat down and watched Sebastiane (1976) by Derek Jarmen and I loved it. Naturally I had to watch his take on a certain artist in a movie that's approaching it's fortieth anniversary.

Yes, it's Caravaggio (1986) and things got off to something of a bleak start as Caravaggio (Nigel Terry) himself had been in exile and was dying from lead poisoning with the mute Jerusaleme (Spencer Leigh) as one of the few remaining allies in his last moments of life.

The bulk of this movie of course would be told through flashbacks. Things started off with a younger and more brash Caravaggio (Dexter Fletcher) who hustled and painted his way until attracting the attention of Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte (Michael Gough). Then things started to get better as the young artist suddenly had influence on his side.

There's a nice look into the different types of people (urchins and prostitutes) that were subjects of Caravaggio's work while the artist's hedonistic lifestyle and entitlement also saw him at odds with the church as well. It's not hard to see why Caravaggio would clash with such an institution.

Anyways as Caravaggio got older and more influential, he eventually found himself drawn to a ruffian named Ranuccio (Sean Bean). Their relationship was certainly volatile and not helped by the presence of Ranuccio's girlfriend, Lena (Tilda Swinton). The latter also falling pregnant brought about another complication and a bloody ending to the whole affair.

The flashbacks making up the bulk of the movie certainly gave the opening and final scenes the right level of weight. Caravaggio succumbed to being poisoned, mused on his life choices while also having hallucinations of himself as a boy (Noam Almaz). It's a tragic ending to a volatile artist.

- Tilda Swinton would go on to work with Derek Jarmen on several other movies after this one.

- The movie did features certain anachronisms, which seemed fitting considering the subject matter.

- Standout music: Missa Lux Et Orgio was used rather nicely.

- Chronology: Caravaggio died in 1610 in Porto Ercoli, State of the Presidi. A lot of the movie took place in Milan.

While I definitely preferred Sebastiane (1976), I also really enjoyed Caravaggio (1986). There's great performances from Nigel Terry, Dexter Fletcher, Sean Bean and Tilda Swinton. It's beautifully shot as well.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Wolf Creek 2 (2013)

 

Written by Greg McLean And Aaron Sterns

Directed by Greg McLean 

Paul: "So it's sort of like 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire'?"

Mick: "Yeah! Except you don't get to phone a friend if you get one wrong because you'll be too busy screaming in fucking agony!"

There are times when a sequel will turn out to be much better than the original. It doesn't happen often but it does happen every once in a while. For me, this sequel was better than the first movie itself.

Once again, you've got the return of xenophobic misogynistic serial killer, Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) and once again, he's out to cause absolute terror to anyone who would have the misfortune to encounter with him.

For the first half an hour, those caught in Mick's reign of terror included two highway patrol officers named Gary Bulmer (Shane Connor) and Brian O'Connor (Ben Gerrard). It's not that surprising that Mick would hate the law as much as he does foreigners given the sadistic delight he took in killing both Bulmer and O'Connor.

However going back to his main love, Mick happened to find a tourist couple named Rutger (Philippe Klaus) and Katarina (Shannon Ashlyn) and it didn't long for the former to be killed and for the latter's escape to bring about a true challenge for Mick before being killed off herself.

The challenge for Mick being an English tourist named Paul Hammersmith (Ryan Corr). Yup, Paul was an ordinary enough bloke but for some reason, he managed to both anger and intrigue Mick long enough to make it out of the movie. Unfortunately even surviving Mick came a huge consequence to Paul.

The dynamic between Paul and Mick, which involved finger grating, drinking and general knowledge questions did give a better insight into what made Mick tick a bit more. This was something the first movie lacked and Paul was a sympathetic enough everyman protagonist to make those scenes worked.  I even got the impression that Mick had a grudging respect for Paul.

- Ryan Corr who played Paul Hammersmith actually is Australian. Paul had a girlfriend he was talking to before getting caught up in the main event. Paul was reported back to the UK and sectioned.

- Following this movie, there was a TV series that ran for two seasons. A new movie is coming out later this year.

- Standout music: Slim Dusty's When The Rain Tumbles Down In July.

- Chronology: Set shortly after the events of the first movie.

Yup, for me, Wolf Creek 2 was definitely the better movie. It did help having a somewhat better written everyman character in Paul and the scenes with him and Mick were definitely the strongest. The ending was bleak but not unexpected.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Wolf Creek (2005)

 

Written And Directed by Greg McLean 

Mick: "What was it your mate said again? Oh, yeah, that's not a knife - *this* is a knife!"

Okay, I may have caught up with another horror franchise that's going to release a new movie this year. This time around, it's an Australian one where the wilderness really can be a dangerous place.

Let's throw in three backpackers shall we? These people are Ben Mitchell (Nathan Phillips) and his two British friends, Liz Hunter (Cassandra  Magrath) and Kristy Earl (Kestie Morassi). All they wanted to do was to explore Australia. Unfortunately they encountered the wrong man in their quest.

The wrong man of course being Mick Taylor (John Jarratt). Mick picked up the trio when their car predictably broke down, they were stranded and couldn't get reception. At first Mick seemed odd but harmless but that changed quick enough into the movie as the trio found out the hard way.

Mick turned out to be quite the character. In the sense that he's a xenophobic serial killer with a particular hatred for British tourists. Mick's logic was to kill any tourists he encountered but he spent a great deal of the movie tormenting both Liz and Kristy while leaving Ben alone.

It did feel very stereotypical horror with both women being excessively terrorised by Mick. We did have them trying to rescue one another and both did their best to pose a direct threat to the misogynistic brute. Unfortunately, this isn't a horror franchise with a Final Girl in mind.

Both Liz and Kristy ended up being brutally killed by Mick and when Ben managed to escape himself, his fate was treated like an afterthought by comparison. Needless to say, Mick managed to get away with his crimes by the end of this movie.

- The movie's loosely based on real life involving backpackers being murdered in 1990s and 2001 by two different men.

- There was a romantic subplot between Ben and Kristy that got it down with the final edit of this movie.

- Standout music: 78 Saab's Sunshine.

- Chronology: Set during 1999 with the backpackers going from Broome to Cairns, Queensland via the Great Northern Highway. They also stopped off at Wolf Creek National Park.

Grisly and unpleasant and with a vile antagonist on display, Wolf Creek doesn't make for a pleasant viewing. It's a good movie with some strong kills and decent performances. Not to mention a much better sequel.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

 

Written by Pete Young And Vance Gerry And Steve Hulett And Ron Clements And John Musker And Bruce M. Morris And Matthew O'Callaghan And Burny Mattinson And Dave Michener And Melvin Shaw

Directed by John Musker And Ron Clements And Dave Michener And Burny Mattinson

Dr. Dawson: "From that time on, Basil and I were a close team. We had many cases together, but I'll always look back on that first with the most fondness; my introduction to Basil of Baker Street, the great mouse detective."

Last year marked the fortieth anniversary of The Black Cauldron but I had not seen the Disney animated movie that followed it. Anyone care for a mouse version of Sherlock Holmes? That's exactly what this offered.

Now this isn't a new thing for Disney as well had gotten the animal version of Robin Hood and I will get to that at a later point, review wise. Anyways, on to this movie itself.

Our detective duo are mice named Basil (Barrie Ingham) of Baker Street and his sidekick David Q. Dawson (Val Bettin). Their case for this movie came at the behest of a young mouse named Olivia Flaversham (Susanne Pollatschek). She needed their help in rescuing her father, a toymaker named Mr Flaversham (Alan Young).

The latter had been kidnapped by Professor Ratigan (Vincent Price). He's a rat but don't remind him of that or he'll feed you to the cat. Ratigan also had a bat named Fidget (Candy Candido), who almost got eaten by the cat itself when he wasn't doing Ratigan's dirty work.

Mr Flaversham was needed to aid with a robot clone of the Mouse Queen (Eve Brenner). Ratigan planned to get rid of the real queen while using the robot to take over the country. He almost succeeded and even almost succeeded with getting rid of Basil, Dawson and Olivia but had gravely underestimated the trio.

As a team, they're a lot of fun and the supporting characters are great too. There's Basil's exasperated housekeeper, Mrs. Judson (Diana Chesney) and an entertaining dog character that also helped with the cases. As for the real Holmes and Watson, of course they appeared in their own way.

- Archive recording of Basil Rathbone was used for Sherlock's voice while Watson was voiced by Laurie Main.

- The movie also went by the title of The Adventures Of The Great Mouse Detective.

- Standout music: Miss Mouse's Let Me Be Good To You and Ratigan's The World's Great Criminal Mind and Goodbye So Soon.

- Chronology: It's 1897, London.

The Great Mouse Detective (based on a children's book series) was a lot of fun. Great choice of voice actors, nice nods to the world of Sherlock Holmes and decent songs, though not many. I enjoyed this.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Insidious: The Red Door (2023)

 

Written by Leigh Whannell And Scott Teems 

Directed by Patrick Wilson 

Josh: "It's happening. Something's following us."

After two movies that took a breather from the Lambert family (that also happened to be prequels), we're back with that family in question and it's been a while for them. Things have not improved.

In fact, this movie opened with the funeral for Lorraine (Barbara Hershey) and it was quickly revealed that Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) are separated and Josh's relationship with oldest son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins) was also on rather shaky ground. In fact, it was rather hostile between father and son.

Also because so much time passed since Insidious: Chapter 2, Dalton was now in college and ended up sharing a dorm with a girl named Chris (Sinclair Daniel). She's an instantly likable character who proved to be a good sounding board. 

In fact, Dalton's more the focus of this movie with Chris being almost the second. Chris certainly seemed to have more screen time than either Josh or Renai and there was even a bit of a romantic vibe between Dalton and Chris. I really liked both of them as a team.

As for the monster/evil spirit in question, this time it was Ben Burton/Smash Face (Daid Call), linking into both Josh and Dalton's and connecting thr frat setting of this movie. There's memories unlocked for both Josh and Dalton as events from the first movies were addressed here to resolve present day issues.

In some ways this felt like a nice final chapter for the Lambert family as a whole. I mean, they're not entirely reunited but the issues between Josh and Dalton were resolved and quite frankly, I'm not sure I'd bring them back for further movies unless the story really justified it.

- There's smaller roles for Elise (Lin Shaye), Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson) as they're relegated to YouTube videos. Elise and Josh do get a brief last scene together.

- Patrick Wilson directed this movie, making his debut in that field.

- Standout music: Ghost's version of Stay.

- Chronology: The movie was set in 2019, so nine years after the events of the second movie.

If I hadn't been aware of the fact that there was another movie in this franchise coming out this year, I'd think Insidious: The Red Door was a good final instalment. It certainly was for the Lambert family at the very least.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

 

Written by Leigh Whannell 

Directed by Adam Robitel 

Audrey (to Elise): "You know, you've been blessed with a gift. You're special. Some people are afraid of special people."

With the first two movies focused on the Lamberts and the third one being a prequel about the Brenners, I'm surprised this was also a prequel. Two prequel movies in a row? It did seem like an odd decision to be honest.

Then again, the focus happened to be on a young Elise Rainier (Ava Kolker/Hana Hayes). Years before being a demonology, Elise learned the hard way that her brute of a father, Gerald (Josh Stewart) didn't take kindly to get abilities. In fact, he seemed to delight in punishing Elise for something she couldn't control.

Horror movies certainly do love the abusive parent trips and Gerald Rainier was pretty horrible to watch as a character. His brutality wasn't just reserved for Elise as her younger brother, Christian (Pierce Pope/Thomas Robie) also fell victim to Gerald as did their mother, Audrey (Tessa Ferrer). When the latter died, Elise copped the blame until she couldn't take it anymore and left home.

In more recent times, the Elise we know (Lin Shaye) was now in business with Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson) and a case brought Elise back to her old family home. There was a man named Ted Garza (Ted Acevedo) who needed Elise's help but it turned out that he was holding a woman prisoner as he believed she was possessed.

On top of that, Elise was reunited with her brother, Christian (Bruce Davidson) and met her nieces, Melissa (Spencer Locke) and Imogen (Caitlin Gerard). Needless to say that Christian harboured resentment at his old sister for abandoning him while Imogen revealed that she had the same abilities that Elise had as well.

The rest of the movie played out with the reveal of both Ted and Gerard being influenced by Keyface (Javier Botet). We did get to see both Elise and Christian make amends with one another and put some ghosts to rest, so to speak. 

- The last scene of the movie did set up the events of the first movie. There's an appearance from Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott) as well.

- A minus but definitely could've done without both Specs and Tucker trying it on with Melissa and Imogen.

- Standout music: Oak Street Blues Band's Long Holidays.

- Chronology: Flashbacks to 1953 in Five Keys, New Mexico as well in 2010 to lead back into the first movie.

Insidious: The Last Key managed to be a better prequel than the previous movie. I think Elise Rainier really has been the glue to this franchise and I sometimes do wonder if there was a regret in killing her off so early. I'm glad that even death hasn't prevented this franchise from exploring the character much further.

Rating: 7 out of 10