Halloween (2018)

Set forty years after the first Halloween (1978), it ignores the many sequels (other than to ridicule them), presenting itself as a direct continuation.
Myers is incarcerated and Strode is in self-made isolation, having spent the last four decades preparing herself, aware that she can only truly be free of the horror of that night if she's able to witness the man in the mask die.
Its reverence for Carpenter's film borders on slavish, at times feeling more like a remake than a continuation, but by the same token it doesn't hurry itself and its modern qualities are mostly reserved for the teens' idiotic activities.
It proposes a psychological connection between killer and target, but doesn't go into any depth, either unable or unwilling to do so. What kept me watching was seeing Jamie Lee Curtis onscreen and hearing Carpenter on score duties.

2½ headlights out of 5

Moonstruck (1987)

Loretta Castorini (Cher) is an Italian-American woman living in Brooklyn, in a relationship with Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello). Her partner doesn't ignite much passion in her, but as a widower who fears she may be doomed to bad luck in such regards, she's willing to settle for the safety of 'good enough'. That's until she meets Johnny's unpredictable brother Ronny (Nicolas Cage) for the first time, and the dulled fires in her soul begin to ignite.
Human relationships are key in the work, many of which are influenced by mature feelings and a great big moon that hangs over the city, shining down upon the populace. Cher's character is the focus, but there are a number of others, each experiencing their own reinvigoration. I mean no disrespect when I say that it'll perhaps appeal more to viewers who are of a similar age to the protagonists (I'm in that same bracket) - it's simply that kind of drama.

3 modern miracles out of 5

Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993)

It's Gromit's birthday, but that doesn't mean he gets time off from chores. Worse still, the household bills are piling up, so Wallace suggests a paying lodger - the duo's equilibrium in under threat. When a beady-eyed shifty penguin answers the advert, Gromit's life gets even more stressful.
The trousers of the title are techno-trousers, a time-saving crazy Wallace invention. They play a role in the drama, a scenario that channels a few different genres (including heist and classic British horror) to good effect.
The claymation animation was great in the previous outing, but TWT is a sizeable step up from that. I loved the UFO catcher scene, but the film's crowning achievement is a scene involving a toy train. It would've been a labour of love to animate, but the result is unequivocally worth it.

4 shocking calamities out of 5

The Game (1997)

On paper the story (and plotting) of The Game seem interesting, but at two+ hours it's a case of too much for too long - it needed some major tightening up. And for about 80% of the running time Michael Douglas didn't hold my attention. He stars as an investment banker (read: wanker) who signs up to participate in a life-changing 'game' that he knows almost nothing about, and in order to keep the mystery of that situation I feel obliged to say nothing more about it. It's a decision that seems out of character for him, to begin with, and while things remedy somewhat as they go on the random/not random happenings and his response to them left me bored and sleepy. The film gambles on the notion that a twisty pay-off will make up for a protracted middle; its popularity suggests that for many folks it does, but it didn't for me.

2½ deeper understandings out of 5

First Men in the Moon (1964)

It pleases me when filmmakers use a feature's opening titles as a first port of call to the ensuing drama and not just as another bland detailing of relevant names. FMitM has the former, and what follows is pretty good too, but then there's a dramatic tonal shift into comedic territory, like a British comedy movie of the era (at times even bordering on becoming Carry On Scientist). It's fair to say that it's not what one might expect from screenwriter Nigel Kneale. The pseudo-science is forgivable but I feel the diving suits were a mistake.
Incidentally, the same H.G. Well's story that was the basis for the adaptation is believed to have been a direct influence on Georges Méliès' famous Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902). Not everyone enjoys silent films from 100+ years ago, but Méliès' film has an enchanting nature that FMitM lacks.

2 liberated geese out of 5

Gerald's Game (2017)

Gerald's plan to get his wife to their remote lake house for a sexy weekend goes terribly awry. Based on a 1992 Stephen King novel of the same name, it's a scenario that might not sound too terrifying on paper, but for one of the couple it's a horrifying experience that won't ever be forgotten.
The novel doesn't exactly lend itself to the film format, but Dir. Mike Flanagan makes it work, pushing the psychologically strained threads of the tale into dark corners, reversals and POV angles that give the mostly static situation a unique feeling of movement and life. The believability of the story rests largely on the performance, and neither Carla Gugino nor Bruce Greenwood shirk on that aspect. The novel's most terrifying moment is the film's also. And for King aficionados there are references to at least three of his other works.

3½ wrist marks out of 5

The Entity (1982)

When Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey) is assaulted in her home by a malevolent entity she seeks help from the medical community, most of whom try to write off her experiences as psychological delusions and repressed trauma. Despite their 'expert' assurances, the violent and sexual attacks increase.
The supernatural aspect is always there, but it's the human trauma that stands out, thanks to a fine performance by Hershey, who personifies the dread of not being safe in one's home and the horror of not being believed.
The camerawork and FX are genuinely creepy and upsetting a lot of the time, and the attacks are accompanied by a pulse-pounding score that's as dramatic as hell in the night time but less so in daylight hours. Based on true events, if not for the weak finale The Entity would be a lot more terrifying overall.

3½ visitations out of 5

Mirai (2018)

While it's true that Dir. Hosoda's works are appealing less and less to me with each subsequent release, Mirai stands out as a drastic drop in that direction. That's a wholly subjective feeling, consolidated by my hatred of the lead character, a yapping four-year-old that I found to be completely insufferable. The basic premise, about a child who meets various members of his family from differing time periods, thus influencing his whiny little turd attitude in his own (present) time, is a genuinely fun idea, but the concepts and leaps of understanding that the child makes are much too advanced to be believable, meaning that even objectively the work fails to respect its own agenda.
In the interest of balance, the film has received a lot of praise elsewhere.

2½ bullet trains out of 5

Grand Theft Auto (1977)

Nothing to do with a popular sandbox video game series, the film GTA follows the journey of poor-boy Sam Freeman (Ron Howard) and rich-girl Paula Powers (Nancy Morgan) as they drive to Las Vegas to get wed. Along the way the duo are pursued by a number of different characters, for various reasons. Pushing the joke further, some of the pursuers are themselves being tailed.
There was an audience in the late 70s for the kind of road movie caper that GTA is, as evidenced by the success of Smokey and the Bandit (incidentally, GTA was released a couple of weeks after SatB), but the light-hearted comedy rarely excites and the characters aren't memorable enough to make it stand out. To be blunt, if not for the name it might not be remembered at all, except perhaps by fans of Dir. Howard, seeing as how it was his début feature.

2 reward hunters out of 5

Outland (1981)

A bleak sci-fi set on Io (Jupiter's third-largest moon), in and around a titanium mining outpost with lighting that's reflective of the functional aspect of the environment more than the fanciful cinematic one; i.e. it's dark a lot of the time. Any lights present are often glary, but they add atmosphere.
Sean Connery stars as Marshall William O'Niel. Like in any frontier town, the Marshall keeps the peace as best he can. But the harsh environment can take a toll on the workers, leading to violence and corruption. Not well-liked, the only person he can rely on is a lady doctor, a woman of equal temperament named Marian Lazarus (Frances Sternhagen). The much-reported similarities to High Noon (1952) aren't immediately apparent, but are inescapable as the film moves into its final third. All in all, it's probably Dir. Peter Hyams' best work.

3 cupcakes out of 5