The Addams Family (1991), Addams Family Values (1993), and The Addams Family (2019)

I watched both when they first came out 30 years ago, but didn't like them very much. 

And then just the other day I watched it again, and enjoyed it more than ever. It's funny how this is a rare movie that gets better for me each time I watch it. 

The entire cast is so good! I love the design of the castle, and the hidden "fortune" and the lore behind the Addams lineage. Such good stuff!

I didn't like the sequel  (Part 2) very much when I first saw it, but rather enjoyed it on a rewatch. Much of the subtle humor was lost on me years ago. 

Part 2 really belongs to Joan Cusack! She really steals the whole movie as Fester's nefarious girlfriend who wants a piece of the Addams fortune. And I liked the summer camp sequences with the crazy hyper-positive-attitude counselors. The ending was bad, though. The whole electrocution deal....doesn't hold up well, and don't love the movie as much as the first one. 

I tried giving the 2019 animated movie a try, since I hadn't seen it yet. Surprisingly, it had a number of the same jokes from the 1991 movie and didn't capture my attention enough to watch the whole thing. 

Going to stick with the 1991 version again if I ever am in an Addams Family mood again! 

Read another review of Addams Family Values from:

Reel Weedgie Midget here

Five Questions I Had Re-Watching The Exorcist (1973)

Nashville, TN showing in 1973

I've never blogged about 1973's The Exorcist before, but it's a movie that I rewatch every few years, usually around Halloween time or in October. Recently, I watched it on a big screen in a theater for the first time, along with an audience/crowd. I felt less frightened with a crowd around, but I'm sure viewers in the 70s were horrified; I always remember the accounts I read about of "around-the-block" lines and how people walked out of the theater out of fear, disgust, or physical sickness/illness. I was hoping to re-live or re-capture that feeling in 2022 somewhat, but was a little distracted by the numerous cell phones flashing by enthusiastic millennials/Gen Z'ers taking pictures at key moments. And after several viewings of the movie, I guess I'm not as frightened as I once was of this film. However, I still think it's a great piece of filmmaking with great writing, directing, and performances.5 lingering questions that came to mind after this last re-watch.

1. If the mom character (Ellen Burstyn) is such a big movie star, and the British director "Burt" is fairly well known, wouldn't the murders and strange phenomena happening near the set attract and create extensive media and tabloid attention? This wasn't addressed in the film and not sure if it was mentioned in the book (I never read it). A minor issue, but it seems like it would be a big deal for a movie director's horrendous death to be national/world news. But there were no media reporters or crews outside the house at any time.

2. The alcoholic director "Burt" uses a profane adjective several times in the film and it's strange because I never heard it used by anyone in any film or real life. Is this a phrase unique to this director or something? Like when everyone says "broomhead" on the TV show Degrassi but no one else in world uses that term? Or was "c---ing" a common slang term in the 70s? Seriously, it's so bizarre. 

3. I don't quite understand the relationship between the live-in workers in the house. Are the German workers there full time, and attend to each new renter? Is Reagan's mom only renting the house? Are the Germans the owners? This still remains fuzzy. I don't get who the lady with the typewriter is either - is she Ellen Burstyn's personal assistant? Is she the older daughter (like the older daughter in Poltergeist?) Update: According to the commentary by William Friedkin, they are Ellen Burstyn's assistants that travel with her (but I don't think it's explicitly stated in the movie) 

4. When the detective (Lee J. Cobb) inspects the stairs for the first time, he picks up a small sculpture off the ground...I never noticed that before. Apparently, it's one that was made by Reagan and is suspiciously at the bottom of the stairs. Did Burt pick it up which prompted Reagan to throw him out the window? Was it a sculpture of a demon? 

5. Who put the crucifix under Reagan's pillow? Everyone in the house say they didn't, so I wonder if someone at the hospital gave it to Reagan (maybe a priest) and she kept it in the blanket with her as she came home, and put it under her pillow herself. That's my interpretation.  

What do you think?

Fright Night (1985) and The Lost Boys (1987)

Watched these movies for the first time recently; In the late 80s, I guess I just wasn't interested in vampires or vampire movies all that much. 

In Fright Night, a teen discovers that his suave new neighbor (Chris Sarandon - maybe his most famous role) is a vampire, but no one believes him. When the vampire starts to stalk the kid, he turns to a has-been horror actor and late-night horror TV host "Peter Vincent" (Roddy McDowell) to help him slay the vampire. The movie has alot of grisly makeup and visual effects which - at the time - were no doubt pretty impressive. 

I liked the story element where the old has-been actor gets involved, and that his name is an amalgamation of Vincent Price and Peter Cushing. Vincent has a funny line where he says (paraphrasing) "the only horror your generation is interested in has to do with a guy in a ski mask slaughtering virgins". I suppose it was kind of true at the time, but ironically, I think movies like Fright Night helped to revive the vampire movie.

The Lost Boys was something of a cult vampire hit but I was never interested in it.  Watching it in 2021, I can see how appealing it could have been, with a cast that includes Cory Haim, Cory Feldman, Keifer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, and Jason Patric, who plays the older brother in a family that just moved into town. 

The marketing buzz I remember about this movie showcased the vampires hanging out and flying about in the night with their new "recruit", and that was my impression of the movie for years.  However I didn't realize that there was more to this movie, including a few other rather entraining subplots that add to the suspense. The first one involves the two Coreys getting together to become vampire busters, and it's pretty interesting to see them get close to and eventually break into the vampire's lair. 

The other subplot involves the single-mom character (Diane Weist) who dates a mild-mannered gentleman in town played by Edward Hermann who steals the movie at the end in a twist I did not see coming. You have to see it to believe it. 

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World (1963)

I don't know alot about the story behind the making of this film, but I'm guessing that Stanley Kramer, who normally directed dramas, wanted to do an all-star slapstick comedy. I've seen parts of the movie when I was younger but recently watched the whole movie. Watching the movie in 2022, 60 years after it was first released, it feels like a product of its time. Dialogue and jokes seem very old fashioned and dated, such as when Buddy Hacket calls the mother-in-law character (Ethel Merman) an old bag and various other names. Mickey Rooney is cast as Hacket's best friend, but he seems really miscast among the other comedians. It was nice to see a couple of Black comedians such as Eddie Anderson but when they appear they only appear for a few seconds, sadly.

As I watched the movie I kept thinking of a better title. I thought "Greedy" might be good, since all the characters are rushing to find a stash of hidden cash before the other does.

This movie reminded me of another film I enjoyed watching on tv as a kid years ago - "Scavenger Hunt". I remember enjoying it at the time but maybe it doesn't hold up, either; will have to look for it one day.

Another review from:
Confessions of a Film Philistine

Goodfellas (1990), and State of Grace (1990)

I recently watched Goodfellas in its entirety (not just bits and pieces) and enjoyed it. When I first tried watching it, I thought it was really boring, but now I find great appeal to it because it shows how an "outsider" like Ray Liotta's character, who is Irish, finds community and respect with the Italian mobsters.  Speaking of mob films, I still haven't seen Martin Scorcese's 2019 movie The Irishman yet; it was nominated for several Oscars a few years ago, but didn't win any.  

State of Grace (also from 1990) also features an Irish-Italian mob theme. I've known about it for years, but never watched it until recently. It's about an Irish cop (Sean Penn) who goes undercover and gets caught up with an Italian mob, who fight against the Irish mob including his friends. It's really suspenseful and makes you wonder how Sean Penn is going to get out of the predicament he's in. Ed Harris and Gary Oldman are in it and they are great as well. I liked the scenes showing New York. One day I want to go there, I keep saying that. 

Nuit #1 (2011)

This account of a one-night stand and the subsequent night is very realistic portrayal that seemed very authentic, unlike other similar themed movies that inject a ton of comedy and humor. Made in France, it is relatable to people (especially young singles) from across the world. Clara, a teacher, and Nikolai meet at a club, then go back to Nikoai's flat to fuck. When Clara tries to leave unnoticed, Nik stops her and pulls her back to the apartment. I didn't like how pushy he was and its a bit disturbing. She goes back to the apartment and pretty much bares her soul to him, opening up about her innermost feelings of regret, shame, and despair. And they end up sleeping together on the roof, where Clara looks down at the street and we're unsure what she is going to do. The film was written and directed by a woman (Anne Émond), not a man, important to emphasize that the film is from a woman's perspective, so many films with characters like these are directed by a man.  

At the end of the film, we see Clara's students, but we're unsure if this takes place the next day, the next year, or prior to Nuit 1 (the first night). I liked how the film left me wondering about that.