Saturday Night (2024)

It's 90 minutes before the very first episode of Saturday Night Live is set to premiere on October 11, 1975. Lorne Michaels frantically struggles to keep the cast's larger-than-life personalities in check, as he deals with snarky writers, cranky technicians and know-it-all executives coming down on him from all sides. It's a clash of egos between divas and assholes, and it's exhausting to say the least. I give Jason Reitman props for handling this source material which has become the stuff of legend at this point, although at times it feels more like an excuse to showcase a bunch of celebrity impersonations (as good as they may be). It seems like they took a lot of the stories and lore from the first year of SNL and crammed as many as they could into a two-hour time frame. It ends right where the first episode begins, so I guess seek that out afterwards to see how it all turned out. 

2½ bee costumes out of 5

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

The best Ghostbusters sequel since Part II. Unfortunately, this one involves too many moving parts and not enough focus on the original Ghostbuster crew, which is really all anyone wanted. Still, it's an entertaining picture that strives to bring back what we all loved about the original, even though it feels bloated with one too many storylines and characters (as you can glean from the poster above). I honestly wouldn't mind more films in the series in this vein, although time seems to be running out and the actors aren't getting any younger.

As for the plot, we're back in NYC, and it's cold. That's really all you need to know.

3½ ecto-containment units out of 5

Poltergeist (2015)

Relatively green Gil Kenan directs this remake of the 1982 horror classic about a family accosted by angry spirits in their new home. This time the story is more contained, leaving out a sense of community and focusing entirely on the family. Minor tweaks to the original story are expected, but certain elements are retained such as the twisted tree outside the home and a creepy clown doll to serve as foreshadowing. The Heather O' Rourke look-a-like, Kennedi Clements does a decent job, but the real lead-in to the paranormal events belongs to the brother (Kyle Catlett). Despite some truly disturbing visuals in the latter half and Sam Rockwell delivering just the right amount of humor, the film lacks impact. Tight pacing never allows for frightening events to sink in too deeply and bad lighting choices add to its mediocrity. It's an enjoyable film, but hardly a lasting entry in the horror genre like the original.

3 battle scars out of 5

MONSTER HOUSE [2006]

Director Gil Kenan teams up with Community's creator Dan Harmon & co-writer Rob Schrab for the motion-capture animated Monster House.

It's driven forward by some beautiful visuals & lighting, wonderful score from Douglas Pipes and wild imagination unfortunately it's dragged down by annoying characters, lack of heart and huge plotholes.  A entertaining ride nonetheless but should be noted that it's far too intense & scary for the wee ones.

2½ House Wives out of 5