Child's Play (2019)

The 'Child's Play' franchise has become a bit jumbled with the series now split between two major studios: Universal for the sequels with original creator Don Mancini & MGM who owns the rights to the original 1988 film resulting in this 2019 reboot. While it's hard not to see this as somewhat of a slap to the face of Mancini, I feel this new film stands out enough that I'd happily watch both series proudly. The basics are the same here: Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman) and his mother Karen (Aubrey Plaza) are terrorized by a homicidal doll named Chucky (voiced by Mark Hamill). And that's where the similarities end as this time around we don't have and voodoo magic or Charles Lee Ray but instead the 2019 film attempts to discuss modern technology and our obsession with it. The new iteration of the doll is named Buddi who is made by a company called Kaslan which comes off very Amazon.com or Apple with its cold mute colored advertisements and Kaslan having its brand slapped on almost every electronic product in the film. This of course gives Chucky much more to play with than before but the technophobic message will feel like a heavy hit to your noggin by the end.

What I did enjoy about this film more than the original is Andy and Chucky's relationship which starts out innocent and heartwarming (including a montage) before the chaos starts. Even when Chucky starts shedding blood, the doll does feel a bit more sympathetic due to it simply being a malfunctioning robot that doesn't know any better and just wants Andy to be his friend. Of course this does not justify Chucky's murders but the film does have a bit more emotional weight to it thanks to Gabriel Bateman and Mark Hamill's strong performances. Aubrey Plaza does well as Karen though I still prefer the warmer and loving Catherine Hicks version of the character rather than the sarcastic and somewhat bitter Plaza take. Brian Tee's Mike Norris gets some more development to him too and he gets some funny dialogue throughout but I have a gut feeling that a lot of his part was left on the cutting room floor. Hopefully we get some extended sequences once the Blu-Ray drops. The cast of kids that make up Andy's friends are just okay, though very cliche and really don't pop in until half the film is over. It's very much the stereotypes you'd expect from the producers of 'IT' and ultimately I felt they didn't do enough here for me to be invested.

I was honestly shocked by how much gore is in 'Child's Play' 2019 and quite brutal gore to boot. Those poor folks whom Chucky deems a threat to his and Andy's friendship meet quite gruesome ends for a series that for the most part is considered a fairly mild horror series. Gorehounds will likely be pleased here. As you all know, it's no secret that this new design for Chucky is pretty damn ugly and yeah..this doesn't really change in the final film. It's hard to get used to the look mostly due to it being so inconsistent. The picture you see above looks good where other times, the film's low budget clearly shows and there are some downright cringy CGI moments where Chucky has to jump or quick attack people. I don't know if it's just a bad special effects department or they had to really stray away from the classic look we all love, but he's still pretty damn cheap and fug at the end of the day.

Bear McCreary's score is actually pretty excellent and has a lot more effort put into it than a film like this would usually have. Bear has become a new favorite of mine as he always finds interesting ways to make each movie he works on sound unique. 'Child's Play' is full of toys and child's instruments such as xylophones or little pianos that fit perfectly. My favorite piece is the 'Buddi' theme song with Mark Hamill singing. It's so cheesy but I just can't get it out of my head and hum it at work all day. I recommend picking up the album and listening for yourself. The film is also shot very well, with some good colors and lighting throughout while the sets tend to be a little bland in comparison aside from the finale in a department store. Overall, for a low budget horror film, this looks pretty high quality.

'Child's Play' isn't breaking any new ground and its allegories are pretty tired and hamfisted but it's still quite entertaining. Gabriel Bateman and Mark Hamill's performances keep you invested and the gore and humor give the film some wicked bite. It's recommended but I wouldn't expect anything more than a harmless popcorn flick. I think you'll have fun with your new best Buddi.

B-

The Dead Don't Die (2019)

'The Dead Don't Die' is the new film from eccentric writer/director Jim Jarmusch and stars too many people to list here so let's just say Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevign, and Tilda Swinton. As for the story, it's pretty simple: zombies rampage a small town full of strange people. The usual horror comedy tropes are thrown in for good measure and overall the film is fun but a little unbalanced. As good as the cast is it's simply too big for a 90 minute movie. The poster lists 14 big names but there's a couple more in the film and this becomes a issue, especially towards the final act. Characters that have been introduced and followed throughout will sometimes have no closure and some characters are used for no more than quick gags or seemingly to eat up the running time. 

To counterpoint the main three or four we do follow throughout the majority of 'The Dead Don't Die' are funny and likeable with Adam Driver of 'Star Wars' fame being the standout performance. He frequently breaks the fourth wall and his dry humor greatly compliments Bill Murray's and I hope to see Driver in more comedies like this down the road. Danny Glover and Caleb Landry Jones are given less screen time but their personalities and development is enough for us to root for them once the zombies start attacking. I personally have to have a soft spot for Caleb Jones' character is a horror movie nut with lots of useless movie trivia (that sounds familiar...). The title of the film is revealed to be based upon a real song of the same name and as such, it is frequently used for gags which is the one bit I got pretty tired of by the end. 

Speaking of repetitive, I will commend Mr. Jarmusch for making a zombie movie have meaning and wanting to say something like the good old days of George Romero but the issue here is that he really just copies Romero's allegories and overall message. And whether this was the studio or Jarmusch himself I can't say but we have an old hermit named Bob played by Tom Waits who only seems to be there to give exposition and tell the audience what the movie is about. I really get turned off when a film treats the audience like it's ignorant or we can't figure out the overall message so they straight up tell you through dialogue. I think the message of commercialism, materialism, obsession, and people essentially being zombies thanks to their iPhones are universal themes that everyone is smart enough to understand. Overall 'The Dead Don't Die' has the same bizarre fun you'd expect from Jim Jarmusch with a strong cast to compliment an overall good but not great script. I recommend it if you like horror comedies and definitely recommend it to those who are looking to check out the director's work but don't know where to start. It's an easy watch for a general audience and it's kind of a shame it wasn't more widely released.

8/10

Ranking The 'Child's Play' Franchise (2019 Update)

The 'Child's Play' franchise has had its many ups and downs since the 1988 original sometimes taking some hard turns for both better and for worse. So with the remake coming this Friday, as well as a new television show coming next year it feels right to give an updated evaluation on the series as a whole. We'll go worst to best this time so without further ado, here is my 2019 Chucky ranking.

7. Seed of Chucky (2005)

Yeah, this is still here and yes I know you're hardly surprised but before we go into the usual problems most people have with 'Seed', I'll talk about some of the film's more positive aspects. First, it does seem like Don Mancini was trying to say something about the Hollywood industry and how society shames celebrities and that's commendable. It's also cool to see Jennifer Tilly poke fun at herself and it's obvious the cast and crew had fun on this movie and of course Brad Dourif is always giving his 110%. It's just sad to see that all of the satire and bite that 'Seed of Chucky' would've had is undone by the extremely vulgar and immature humor and the film's overall cheap look. Even the special puppet and gore effects are pretty poor and for some reason they had to green screen California backdrops (the film was made in Romania) which seems more expensive than just filming California. This movie is trying to be edgy with its extreme nature (the only film to get an NC-17 in the series) but it comes off like a foul mouthed child writing pee and jerking off jokes. It sadly killed any chance of Brad Dourif's Chucky from coming back to the big screen even with the upward slope of the next two entries.

6. Cult of Chucky (2017) 

I will admit that when 'Cult' first came out, I loved it for its bonkers direction and having one of the best casts of any entry in the series. Having seen it again, it's far from being the worst but a lot of it bothers me upon a closer look. It is nice to see Alex Vincent come back as Andy Barclay and most of his scenes are highlights of the film but they simply don't use him enough to warrant his inclusion. I'm assuming he'll be coming back as a main player of the television series or even more sequels but here for such an important character he's given really nothing to do until the final few minutes. What I do like about his inclusion is that it shows just how destructive Chucky truly is, especially when you put Fiona Dourif's character Nica next to Andy. Chucky ruined these people and that can sometimes be worse than death. The film also looks very slick and well done, especially with such a low budget it's probably the best direct to video movie I have seen with the exception of old Chucky himself. Minor spoilers here, but this time there are multiple Chucky's wreaking havoc and they all look pretty poor which is starting to become a concerning trend with the series (even the remake). The face in particular just looks poor and the lip sync is wonky most of the time. The biggest positives to take away here is the acting with Brad Dourif giving all his energy, his daughter Fiona becoming a nice addition to the series, and the various patients and doctors are very good with the occasional cheesy line or two but hey that's 'Child's Play' for ya. The film's gore is also surprisingly extreme and effective and from what I saw was mostly practical which is nice to see. 'Cult of Chucky' is still good overall but it's no doubt a more divisive entry in the long running series. P.S. Be sure to watch the Unrated cut for a bonus scene after the credits.

5. Bride of Chucky (1998) 

After 'Child's Play 3' didn't do well at the box office thanks to its rushed production (thanks Universal) it was decided to let Chucky take a little rest for the next 8 years. While today, the film has more of a mixed reputation 'Bride of Chucky' was considered a big breath of fresh air for the series back in 1998. This is the first to include Jennifer Tilly's character Tiffany and she fits the franchise like a glove. Tilly is much more subtle here than in later sequels and plays off Brad Dourif well making for a good companion killer for Chucky. The biggest issue with the movie by far is every other character with the two protagonists Jade and Jesse being so grating and unlikable that you're just begging for the next Chucky kill scene. One just wonders why they couldn't bring back someone from the previous films here rather than have us spend so much time with two whiny teenage lovers and their cliche gay bff. Speaking of kills, for a movie that seems to be influenced by heavy metal and has a darker look to it overall the kills are some of the more mild of them all. They're not bad kills by any means, in fact two of the best in the franchise appear here but this was sadly another victim of the late 90's toning down a lot of horror flicks of the time due to political and cultural backlash on cinematic violence. 'Bride' may be a bit overrated overall but it does have strengths that are hard to ignore with its stylish look, properly paced dark humor, and by far the best puppetry of the series. It's sadly dragged by also being an obvious product of its time and the characters aside from Chucky & Tiffany are awful.

4. Curse of Chucky (2013) 

This one was quite a shock when it first came to my door back in 2013. The series had long been dormant thanks to 'Seed' so going into the sixth entry, I didn't know what to expect. It turns out that taking the subtle and isolated route was clearly the right choice and this one has overthrown 'Bride' this time around. Don Mancini gets back in the director's chair and it seems like he's got a much stronger grip on the filmmaking process giving us one of the best looking 'Child's Play' films. The cast is small but all fit really well into the story. They all have their obvious roles and of course Chucky takes care of the majority of them in his usual way but the cast play it all straight and far better than what's required of a Chucky movie. This film introduces Brad's daughter as Nica and while I do enjoy her performance, the background connection and overall relation to the killer Good Guy is a bit of a stretch. I understand the film wants to connect itself to the overall continuity but it leaves more holes than cheese by the end. Unfortunately, this is yet another Chucky that looks pretty poor, in fact I'd say this is the worst he's looked out of all of them. The picture above is during the climax and here thanks to lighting he can look okay at times but he looks pretty bad here. Great entry overall, but its cheap production value shows pretty hard.

   3. Child's Play 3 (1991) 

Okay controversy time: I like 'Child's Play 3' a lot but before you get the pitchforks, let me answer your hypothetical questions or gripes about this film. "The opening is silly and makes no sense." Yes. It's so bizarre and senseless of an opening that's only saved by a pretty cool credit sequence. "There's not enough Chucky" Maybe, I think he gets enough screen time here for being a shorter entry. "The film is too slow" At times Andy & his friends do slow the movie with the exception of the love interest DeSilva who at least has a personality. The secondary antagonist is a cliched military kid whose an asshole and uses his authority to bully. Thankfully, Brad Dourif gives another great performance and overall I'll say thanks to him. He could have phoned this in by now or not even appear in future sequels but he has stuck with it and accepted the character as his own and never gives a bad voice job. The biggest positives with '3' is the overall darker nature from the aggressive electronic score to the reds, blacks, and greys throughout the production design, and even Chucky's design like the picture above looks more vicious and evil looking. The kills even feel more mean spirited than usual and I would probably attribute some of this to creator Don Mancini. He was told to write this film less than six months after the second film came out and you can almost feel the bitterness on the screen which kind of plays in its favor. Where it doesn't is every character that isn't Chucky, hell even Andy is really dull here (played by a different actor this time). He's whiny and makes incredibly stupid mistakes whereas his younger counterpart was able to counter Chucky's attacks and was more sympathetic. 'Child's Play 3' has a lot of problems and even Mancini himself considers it the worst in the franchise (sorry, but he's wrong) but I think the good outweighs the bad even if its ever so slightly. The more vicious and dark tone does help it stand out and it's the best Chucky design of the original trilogy of films. It seems that the movie is getting some more love nowadays but I recommend giving it another chance.

Oh yeah, and it has the only version of Chucky that ever scared me as a kid...

 2.Child's Play (1988) 

The original that started it all feels pretty different from the rest for two reasons. First, you weren't really supposed to know for sure if the doll was to blame or not and second the film plays out more like a thriller with slow build up and a big climax. The only real issue with that is we know the doll is alive because well the marketing spoiled it before you even watch it and obviously Chucky is now a pop culture icon so sadly a lot of the tension in the original is drained when you know the franchise. Even so, the movie is still strong with a good cast of characters that you do feel sympathy for mostly and you're rooting for them by the end. The climax is also one of the best final battles in a 80's horror film, with the creepy 'Terminator' Chucky all burned up but he just keeps coming & coming. It's a fun cheesy horror movie and brought something new to the killer doll subgenre.

 1.Child's Play 2 (1990) 

 My favorite by far is the 1990 sequel 'Child's Play 2' and for many it's theirs as well. From the big opening score by Graeme Revell to the images of Chucky being rebuilt from head to toe is a great into to a great movie. We are introduced to Andy's stepsister Kyle who has become a fan favorite and by far the best supporting character of the series. Out of the whole franchise, part 2 has iconic moments on par with the original from Chucky holding a yardstick ready to strike to the climax at the Good Guy toy factory and Chucky's knife hand. The only real downside here is the stepfather Phil, who is a total asshole but he's easy to ignore. This film is just plain fun and even Chucky's wise cracks have the appropriate amount of humor and viciousness to them and when he sees red that iconic scream is amazing. This was the 'Child's Play' I saw late one night on TNT with Joe Bob Briggs and I never forgot it. It's just as good as ever and I never get tired of watching it. 

So what do you all think? Do you like 'Child's Play'? Which one is your favorite in the series? Will you be watching the remake this Friday? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading. I'll try to get a review of the new film this weekend.

 

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Legendary's 'Monsterverse' films are what many consider hit or miss so far and the latest film 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' is no different. While not that bad, it also misses the mark on a lot of important details. The story continues five years from 2014's 'Godzilla' and long after 'Kong: Skull Island' the government agency Monarch who hunts and attempts attacks from various cryptozoological creatures now face a dangerous new threat: King Ghidorah, an alien species that threatens to destroy the world. Monarch then attempts to recruit the legendary Godzilla to fight on their side as Ghidorah amasses an army of Kaijus to launch an all-out attack.

The biggest problem right out the gate here is that the film simply does too much name dropping and winks to the audience. What I mean by this is that the film will just mention various items, names, or other lore from the past Toho films with little to no significance nor reason for their being there. Naming Ghidorah "Monster Zero" or randomly revealing the Oxygen Destroyer from the original film are some of these examples and while it's cool to hear and see these if you're a fan, for the majority of the audience these things mean nothing and add nothing to the story.

The other major issue here is the human characters and yes I know that we don't see Kaiju films for the human element, but even in the silliest films of the series you'd have that one protagonist or antagonist that anchored the plot so that we can move to the fighting smoothly. You simply don't have that here as any characters of potential interest such as Dr. Serizawa or the young girl Madison are kept in the background while unlikable or uninteresting characters such as Madison's parents or the various comic relief characters are pushed forward. Even Charles Dance as our main human villain has little to no motive that we know of other than he saw things in the military and hates humanity. Dance is always a class act but that's about as much character as a paper doll.

Luckily, the film does give us some of the best monster fights of the series and delivers on what 2014's film severely lacked. It was nice to finally see fan favorites Rodan, Mothra, & Ghidorah make it to the screen over here and I couldn't help but turn into a little kid again, humming the famous 'Godzilla' theme song as it played during those end credits. Speaking of the music, composer Bear McCreary is becoming a new favorite of mine and here he provides a nice score. It comes with lots of new work while also doing some great covers of the Godzilla & Mothra themes. The special effects here are well done too. The work done on Ghidorah was a standout for me, as each individual head acts like a separate entity and these Kaiju all felt alive with their distinct behaviors and movement.

So my final word on 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' is this: It's a standard Godzilla movie with the same strengths and weaknesses as many in the franchise but provides little else. It really is a shame that these Legendary films just can't make that high jump above the others, with the exception of 'Kong'. The other critics may be a bit too harsh than me, but 'Godzilla' has never been a darling with them but also I can't ignore a lot of their complaints either. The cinematic universe angle has killed a lot of potential with many films in an attempt to cash in on Marvel and sadly 'King of the Monsters' is another victim.

6/10