my brief thoughts on.... 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' (2010)

i've long since overcome my dispute with remakes.... instead, i give them their day in court and try and keep an open mind.... with the majority of the ones i've seen lately, they don't seem to be getting any better.... and with the recent news that Robert Zemeckis is looking to re-do 'The Wizard of Oz' i'm really wondering what they're going to be re-tooling next.... anyway.... the original NoES was a film with heart.... it was limited by the FX of the time.... but Wes Craven had a vision and he carried it out as best he could.... and what he created gave birth to one of the most recognizable horror icons in the history of film.... and spawned multiple sequels....

now to this version.... i think Jackie Earle Haley is a talented guy.... he's short and that kind of works against him in the title role of Freddy Krueger, but he makes the best of it.... the first thing that jumped out at me with this movie was the make-up effects for Freddy.... they went for a more realistic burn victim look.... in the original, Freddy didn't look nearly as burned as he did a pizza face.... but it worked.... with the new make-up, it became distracting to look at Freddy.... also, the voice of Freddy was deeper and more menacing.... it gave him a darker edge.... i did like the way Jackie used the knives on the glove by rubbing them together in anticipation before he killed.... it showed that he relished in what he was doing.... in taking revenge on the children of Elm street.... he also kept the character from making jokes.... something that eventually destoryed the NoES franchise.... my favorite scene in this movie was where Freddy had just killed the teen in the jail cell and then we cut to the dreamworld where Freddy has him hanging upside down.... he comes up to his face and says something like, "....the human mind lives on for 7 more minutes after death.... this means we have 6 more minutes to play...." if the whole movie was this sinister, it might have put the fear of Freddy back into us all.... sadly, this is the high point....
i didn't care for the character Nancy nearly as much as in the original.... and most of the characters came off as flat and dull.... not too mention, something i covered earlier, this movie didn't have the same heart as the original NoES.... it was just a movie made for the sake of making a movie.... and for that, i started to lose interest after a while.... i still enjoyed the ride and enjoyed Jackie's portrayal.... i just hoped for something more.... there's talk of a sequel already and i kind of doubt that they could take it to a new place and a better place.... but who knows....? i'm sure i'll submit myself to watching it.... i am always willing to give a movie a try.... i gave this 3 out of 5 stars.... mostly for Jackie Earle Haley.... as for the rest of the cast and crew, sorry but you didn't pull off a miracle....

if you're a fan of the original, you may want to think twice before watching this.... who knows maybe i'm wrong and you'll love it....?

if you like this or want something similar, watch: 'Friday the 13th' (2009), 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2003) and 'My Bloody Valentine' (2009)

my thoughts on.... 'Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy'

a 4 hour documentary....? just on the 'Elm Street' series....? yup, that's exactly what they've done and i'll be the first to admit that they've done it right.... it's never boring, it never feels like 4 hours and it covers all 8 movies in great depth.... including interviews with almost everyone involved in the making of all the movies.... from behind the scenes people, to actors and directors.... it's the most comprehensive and interesting documentary i've ever seen on horror.... it's made by the same folks who made 'His Name Was Jason', the 'Friday the 13th' series documentary.... however that one was only and hour and a half and was almost a trial run for this monster of a movie....

there's no plot to speak of, but there is a series of stop motion animations inbetween each section of the movie.... they're fun to watch and something new to set your eyes on.... each section on each movie covers all aspects of the films production from the conception to the box office after it's release.... it's almost clinical how involved this movie gets.... you can really get inside the head of Wes Craven, Robert Englund and the rest of the cast and crew.... you also see how people have agd over the years and their thoughts on their participation in each movie.... they even go in depth on the overall theme of the 2nd movie and how it seemed to have strong homosexual overtones.... they admit it wasn't planned, but they age it's blatant after seeing it with finished eyes.... this movie has it all....
so the question is are you a casual fan or a die hard fan....? either way it's worth your time.... hell, this even covers 'Freddy's Nightmares', the music videos, the merchandise and all things Freddy.... the only thing it doesn't cover is the current remake of the original film.... but there is so much else that it doesn't even need to get involved in that.... but that's not all.... the 2nd disc in this set offers almost another 4 hours of features.... so if you still haven't had enough, you can sink your teeth into this.... it's an amazing valentine to every fan of the series....

i highly recommend this to anyone who has any interest.... my only suggestion is to watch all of the films first.... so you can appreciate this film that much more.... i can easily give this 4 out of 5 stars.... it will be apart of my DVD collection at some point and it will replace the joke of a bonus disc that came with the original box set.... i savored every moment of this film and i can't wait to watch it again.... so run, don't walk to the DVD store, Netflix or your local rental place and watch this movie.... it'll be worth it.