Review: "Bride of Chucky" Revived the Franchise

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 130 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Bride of Chucky (1998)
Running time:  89 minutes (1 hour, 29 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong horror violence and gore, language, and some sexual content, and brief drug use
DIRECTOR:  Ronny Yu
WRITER:  Don Mancini (based upon characters he created)
PRODUCERS:  David Kirschner and Grace Gilroy
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Peter Pau
EDITORS:  Randolph K. Bricker and David Wu
COMPOSER:  Graeme Revell

HORROR/COMEDY

Starring:  Jennifer Tilly (also voice), Brad Dourif (voice), Nick Stabile, Katherine Heigl, Gordon Michael Woolvett, Alexis Arquette, John Ritter, and Kathy Najimy

The subject of this movie review is Bride of Chucky, a 1998 horror-comedy from director Ronny Yu.  This was the fourth movie in the Child’s Play film franchise, and the first released since 1991’s Child’s Play 3.  With Bride of Chucky, the franchise changed in tone, emphasizing black comedy and parody (of itself and other films).  The franchise also started to use the name “Chucky” in the film titles, instead of Child’s Play.

Chucky, the doll possessed by a serial killer, discovers the perfect mate to kill and revive into the body of another doll.  The fourth film in the Child’s Play series, Bride of Chucky, takes the inherent humor of the series and moves it up about three notches.  So how does Chucky (voice of Brad Dourif), the murderous doll, come back from the dead for a sequel after being killed again and again?

Chucky, of course, was once a human and the mass murderer, Charles Lee Ray, who used some kind of magic (voodoo) spell to transfer his spirit from his mortally wounded body into that of a “Chucky” doll.  Ray’s plan was to transfer his spirit into another body, but that failed over the course of three Child’s Play movies.  Now, in Bride of Chucky, Charles Lee Ray’s girlfriend, a wannabe killer named Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), bribes a policeman to steal the “Chucky” doll (from Child’s Play 3, in which is was almost completely destroyed) from the evidence room in which it’s hidden.  After dispatching the dumb pig, Tiffany uses voodoo to revive Charles Lee Ray’s spirit and bring the Chucky doll back to life.  However, Chucky isn’t showing Tiffany the love and respect she thought he’d give her as a reward for reviving him.  Pissed off at her antics, Chucky kills Tiffany and uses the same voodoo that transferred his spirit from his dying human body into the Chucky doll (as seen in the first Child’s Play) to transfer Tiffany’s spirit into a bridal doll.

After some initial disagreements, the murderous doll couple, Chucky and Tiffany, band together and coerce two teen lovers-on-the-run, Jesse (Nick Stabile) and Jade (Katherine Heigl) to transport them to the New Jersey graveyard where Charles Lee Ray is buried.  Jesse and Jade are unaware of Chucky and Tiffany’s diabolical plan.  The evil dolls want to use a Satanic voodoo amulet on Ray’s corpse to transfer their spirits in the young lovers’ bodies.

Bride of Chucky doesn’t take itself seriously, but the movie isn’t the kind of comedy that pokes fun of slasher movie conventions and clichés.  Bride of Chucky is less like Scream and more in the vein of something like The Evil Dead.  Chucky creator Don Mancini’s script is a funny and as sarcastic and caustic as Mancini’s earlier Child’s Play scripts.  However, it is director Ronny Yu who seems to take most delight in turning up the comedy even more and transforming this entry in franchise into a gleefully insane and mean-spirited delight.  He seems to go out of his way to offend the sensibilities of even the most tolerant horror movie fans.

It’s that “don’t give a fuck” attitude, probably best exemplified in the delightful voice work of Brad Dourif as Chucky and the special effects work on the doll that makes this film series unique, and Dourif, Mancini, Yu, and the effects crew raise their game for this film.  Although there are times that this film goes too far in terms of violence and seems a bit too bloody, Bride of Chucky is a slasher movie delight, and for this horror fan, damn fun to watch.

7 of 10
B+

Updated:  Monday, October 07, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: Original "Child's Play" Still Fun

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 67 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Child’s Play (1988)
Running time:  87 minutes (1 hour, 27 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  Tom Holland
WRITERS:  Don Mancini, John Lafia, and Tom Holland; from a story by Don Mancini
PRODUCER:  David Kirschner
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Bill Butler (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Roy E. Peterson and Edward Warschilka
COMPOSER:  Joe Renzetti

HORROR

Starring:  Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif (and also voice), Dinah Manoff, Tommy Swerdlow, Jack Colvin, Neil Giuntoli

The subject of this movie review is Child’s Play, a 1988 horror film from director Tom Holland.  It was followed by four sequels, the last being 2004’s Seed of Chucky.  In this first film, a single mother gives her young son his favorite doll for his birthday, and later discovers that it is possessed by the soul of a serial killer.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first theatrical release of Child’s Play (specifically November 9, 1988).  It has not been that long since I last watched the movie, but it has been awhile.  I decided to watch it again because of the upcoming release of the sixth film in the franchise, Curse of Chucky, which is a straight-to-DVD movie.

Child’s Play opens on the streets of Chicago, where homicide detective Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon) is chasing Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), the serial killer known as “the Lakeshore Strangler.”  After Norris mortally wounds him, Charles uses a bizarre “Voodoo” ritual to transfer his soul into a “Good Guy” doll.

That doll, which is named “Chucky,” ends up in the possession of single-mother, Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks).  Karen gives Chucky as a birthday present to her six-year-old son, Andy (Alex Vincent).  After the murders begin, Andy is the only one who understands that his doll is the culprit, and that Chucky is planning more murders.

I’ve said for a long time that horror movies should be horrifying or horrible.  Horrible doesn’t necessarily mean low-quality.  An inappropriate joke could be horrible, but still illicit laughter.  Child’s Play is like some screenwriter’s drunken pitch for a horror movie.  It sounds horrible on the face of it, but it works.

I think Child’s Play works so well because of the efforts of the filmmakers, cast, and crew.  On the surface, at least, they take their work quite seriously.  Alex Vincent gives a fantastic performance, the kind of convincing horror movie acting that many adult performers cannot deliver.  As Andy, Vincent’s ability to sell me on Chucky as a genuine, first-rate horror movie villain is timeless.

The adult actors in Child’s Play are also good.  I love Catherine Hicks manic turn as a hysterical mother.  The best adult performance is delivered by Brad Dourif, giving voice to Chucky.  Dourif brings Chucky to life, creating an outrageous, shameless character that rises above the material.  The reason the Child’s Play franchise keeps coming back is because of Dourif’s voice performance.  Dourif makes the first Child’s Play film an evergreen, a perennial, and a classic in the history modern horror cinema.

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, October 05, 2013

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Warner Bros.' "Run All Night" Begins Production

Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Run All Night” Begins Production in New York

Shooting underway on the crime thriller starring Liam Neeson and Ed Harris

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Run All Night,” starring Oscar® nominees Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List,” “Taken”) and Ed Harris (“Pollock,” “The Hours”), as well as Joel Kinnaman (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), under the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra (“Unknown”).

Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon (Neeson), once known as The Gravedigger, has seen better days. Longtime best friend of mob boss Shawn Maguire (Harris), Jimmy, now 55, is haunted by the sins of his past—as well as a dogged police detective who’s been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. Lately, it seems Jimmy’s only solace can be found at the bottom of a whiskey glass.

But when Jimmy’s estranged son, Mike (Kinnaman), becomes a target, Jimmy must make a choice between the crime family he chose and the real family he abandoned long ago. With Mike on the run, Jimmy’s only penance for his past mistakes may be to keep his son from the same fate Jimmy is certain he’ll face himself…at the wrong end of a gun. Now, with nowhere safe to turn, Jimmy just has one night to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie and to see if he can finally make things right.

Shooting in and around New York City, primarily in Brooklyn and Queens, “Run All Night” also stars Vincent D’Onofrio (TV’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”), Boyd Holbrook (HBO’s “Behind the Candelabra”), Patricia Kalember (“Limitless”), Genesis Rodriguez (“Identity Thief”), and Academy Award® nominee Nick Nolte (“Warrior”).

Collet-Serra directs from a screenplay by Brad Ingelsby. The film is being produced by Roy Lee (“The Departed”), Michael Tadross (“Gangster Squad,” “Sherlock Holmes”), and Brooklyn Weaver (executive producer, upcoming “Out of the Furnace”), with John Powers Middleton (TV’s “Bates Motel”) serving as executive producer.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Martin Ruhe (“The American”), production designer Sharon Seymour (“Argo”), Oscar®-nominated editor Craig McKay (“The Silence of the Lambs”), and costume designer Cat Thomas (“The Heat”).

“Run All Night” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Review: Fun Never Ends in "This Is the End"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 66 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

This Is the End (2013)
Running time:  107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – R for crude and sexual content throughout, brief graphic nudity, pervasive language, drug use and some violence
DIRECTORS:  Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
WRITERS:  Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg; from a screen story by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (based on the short film, Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse, by Jason Stone)
PRODUCERS:  James Weaver and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Brandon Trost
EDITOR:  Zene Baker
COMPOSER:  Henry Jackman

COMEDY/FANTASY

Starring:  James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Kevin Hart, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Paul Rudd, and Channing Tatum with Jason Segel

This Is the End is a 2013 apocalyptic comedy film from writer-directors, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.  This black comedy features a number of Hollywood comic actors and celebrities playing fictional versions of themselves.  The movie centers on actor James Franco’s house where a small band of survivors are forced to live together after a disaster that could be the end of the world.

This Is the End begins with Jay Baruchel arriving in Los Angeles to visit his old friend and fellow actor, Seth Rogen.  Seth convinces Jay to go with him to a housewarming party hosted by actor James Franco.  Jay is reluctant because he does not like Seth’s L.A. friends, especially actor Jonah Hill.  During the party, a catastrophic earthquake occurs, and L.A. falls to fire and chaos.  Jay, Seth, James, Jonah, and Craig Robinson survive the destruction, but they are not alone.  They slowly learn that the largest earthquake in California history may be more than just a natural disaster.

In his review of This Is the End for Maclean’s, critic Brian D. Johnson basically said that there could be worse ways to experience the apocalypse than with stoned celebrities (go here or http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/06/07/was-armageddon-always-this-complicated/ for the full review).  Other than spending it with my family, there is no better way to go through the end of the world than with fun, fictional versions of Seth Rogen and his friends.  Also, much of the middle of the film works like a comedy stage play that allows each member of the ensemble to fashion a character that engages the audience.

I like many of the films in which most members of the main and supporting cast have appeared.  For the most part, I also like their public personas.  They are all really funny in this film, and James Franco’s sardonic humor (which was too understated to work during his gig hosting the Oscars) shines.  Once again, Craig Robinson finds a way to turn a supporting comedy part into a co-leading role on the sheer strength of his underrated talent as a light comic actor.  Danny McBride steals the show; if any actor deserves an Academy Award nomination as a supporting actor this year because of a comedic performance, it is McBride in This Is the End.

This Is the End was made for me.  I liked what the actors did in this movie, and I liked how they were willing to savage their public personas and work in films.  This Is the End of the review but not of my love for this movie, which will go on...

8 of 10
A

Saturday, October 05, 2013


The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Poster for "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" Debuts

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Based on the character created by bestselling author Tom Clancy, “Jack Ryan” is a global action thriller set in the present day.  This original story follow a young Jack (Chris Pine) as he uncovers a financial terrorist plot.

The story follows him from 9/11, through his tour of duty in Afghanistan, which scarred him forever, and into his early days in the Financial Intelligence Unit of the modern CIA where he becomes an analyst, under the guardianship of his handler, Harper (Kevin Costner).  When Ryan believes he’s uncovered a Russian plot to collapse the United States economy, he goes from being an analyst to becoming a spy and must fight to save his own life and those of countless others, while also trying to protect the thing that's more important to him than anything, his relationship with his fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley).

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Chris Pine, Keira Knightley and Kevin Costner
Written By: Adam Cozad and David Koepp

Coming Soon

Watch the Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit trailer only on Yahoo! Movies

To watch the trailer:
 http://movies.yahoo.com/video/jack-ryan-shadow-recruit-trailer-210023496.html

Official website: ShadowRecruitMovie.com
Official Facebook: Facebook.com/JackRyanMovie
Official Twitter: @JackRyanMovie
Official Hashtag: #ShadowRecruit

AMC Theatres Announces "The Hunger Games" Double Feature

AMC Theatres® and Lionsgate Present THE HUNGER GAMES Double Feature at 250 AMC Locations

Tickets on Sale Now for AMC Guests to Catch Up on the Epic Story with a Showing of THE HUNGER GAMES Leading into the 8 p.m. Debut of THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE on Nov. 21

LEAWOOD, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AMC Theatres® is excited to announce the details of the upcoming HUNGER GAMES Double Feature, which will run at 250 AMC locations nationwide on Thursday, Nov. 21, and will finish with the release of Lionsgate’s (NYSE: LGF) THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE. Tickets are on sale now at AMC locations and online.

The double feature, available in both traditional auditoriums as well as in IMAX, begins at 5 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2013 with a showing of the 2012 blockbuster hit THE HUNGER GAMES, allowing guests to relive all the action and suspense of Katniss Everdeen’s first Hunger Games experience. The debut of THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE will follow at 8 p.m.

Fans attending the event will receive a limited edition lanyard and a commemorative gift at participating locations while supplies last.

Ticket price varies by location and presentation format. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit here or www.amctheatres.com/events/hunger-games-double-feature.

ABOUT THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire begins as Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark (played by Josh Hutcherson). Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a "Victor's Tour" of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) - a competition that could change Panem forever. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the second in a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins that has sold over 65 million copies in print in the U.S. alone.

Japan's "Like Father, Like Son" Goes to DreamWorks

DreamWorks Studios Buys Remake Rights to Fuji TV's "Like Father, Like Son"

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios, co-founded by Stacey Snider and director Steven Spielberg and in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, has bought the rights to Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s film “Like Father, Like Son,” it was announced today by Fuji TV.

Winner of a Jury Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, "Like Father, Like Son" tells the heartbreaking story of two families who discover that their six-year-old sons were switched at birth.

Spielberg served as president of the jury at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, which is where he first saw the film and brought it to the attention of his team back at DreamWorks. Said Spielberg, “When I saw the film at Cannes, I was so impressed by its power to bring such a human story to the screen. Here at DreamWorks Studios, Stacey and our team recognized that it was a story we wanted to remake to bring to our audiences throughout the world. I thank Hirokazu Kore-eda and Fuji TV for giving us this once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Said director Hirokazu Kore-eda, “I am honored that a company such as DreamWorks will be developing my film for American audiences. I’m looking forward to working with Steven Spielberg, for whom I have great admiration.”

Produced by Fuji TV, Amuse Inc. and GAGA Corporation (GAGA), the much anticipated release of “Like Father, Like Son” in Japanese theatres is scheduled for September 28, 2013. GAGA and Wild Bunch handles its international sales.