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.... 'Watchmen'

i remember when comic book movies were just for kids.... and to find one that appealed to adults or was even close to some of the more adult oriented comics was impossible.... gradually over the years this trend has changed.... i think that the studios understand that you can still have a hit even if it's not just PG-13.... and if it's a bit more graphic than you're average comic book film.... i think it's about damn time.... there are some exceptions to the rule.... but many of them suffer from the Hollywood syndrome.... ie: they sellout the original story to meet some kind of demographic.... or they re-write the ending to make it more happy.... so when i heard that the classic comic book 'Watchmen' was being turned into a film, i was skeptical.... when i heard it was being directed by Zack Snyder i started to have a glimmer of hope.... and when i heard it got an 'R' rating, i was stoked.... i finally had a chance to watch this last night.... and not since the 'Dark Knight' have i been so engrossed in a comic book film.... from the opening credits to the closing song, i was lost in a world not my own.... an alternate reality of 1985.... i was fascinated by a group of characters that aren't always likeable, but you can't take your eyes of them.... it seemed to me that this may be another fine example of pitch perfect film making.... but we'll get to that later....

the storyline is rich and deep and anything i could write here would not do it justice.... it's just something you have to experience..... so instead, i'll give you the broad strokes.... one of the superheros, The Comedian from the group called The Watchmen, is murdered and suddenly there is a concern that someone is out gunning for supers.... meanwhile, all superheros have been banned and although they try to lead normal lives, some of them just have a hard time letting go.... and overshadowing the whole storyline is the fact that the US and Russia are on the brink of nuclear war and everyone is on edge and no on feels truly safe.... and that's just skimming the surface.... there's so much more underneath.... i can't emphasize enough that you need to see the movie to get the whole story.... or at least read the comic.... but if you want the whole shebang, do both.... you won't be sorry.
this film has extremely well developed characters.... an interesting storyline and more than enough action and intrigue to satisfy even the most passive filmgoer.... it's one of those movies that transcends it's genre.... if you took the fact that they were superheros out of the storyline and just told the story without that little factor.... you still have an amazing story that has depth.... the superhero angle just makes it that much more interesting.... i may sound like i'm gushing, but it's not very often that films like this come along.... and when they do, they deserve as much of an audience as they can get.... this is a film that i would recommend to just about anyone over the age of 18.... and even more so if they're film lovers or comic book lovers.... chances are though, if they're in either one of those categories, i'm sure they've already seen it or own it....

so what rating do i give it you might ask....? well, that's where things get strange.... despite all of my high praise and love of this film.... i kept feeling like there was something missing or something that i missed.... it just felt slightly off.... so therefore i give it 4 out of 5 stars.... but before you go off and rail on my judgement hear me out.... i have a deep seated feeling that upon a 2nd or 3rd viewing this will change to 5 out of 5 stars.... there was just so much going on that i think it takes repeated viewings to truly enjoy this in it's entirety.... it's just that simple.... i know that it will end up in my movie collection and be a welcome addition.... i've also planned on going back into my comic book archieves and digging out the original comics so i can remember the joy i felt when i first read it.... but now i can see it through fresh eyes and put voices to the characters.... and i feel it'll be that much more enjoyable to read....

end of review, see this now. do not pass go, do not collect $200.... just go out and rent or buy it and sit down and delve into the world of the Watchmen for almost 3 hours.... it's well worth every minute of your life.... thank you to everyone involved with the making of this movie for bringing something to life that deserved a wider audience.... the end.

if you like this movie, you might want to watch: 'Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter', 'The Dark Knight' and read the comic book series