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This is a scene from “Final Exam,” a minor, low-budget slasher flick from 1981. But it could almost be from any one of hundreds of similar movies from that era. By the time “Final Exam” was released — just three years after “Halloween” and less than a year after “Friday the 13th” — the typical formula for slasher butchery had already come to seem unwaveringly standardized. The shrieking damsel, the masked killer leaping out of the darkness, the flash of the glittering phallic blade: These things were shocking circa “Psycho,” but once the slasher became a genre, the tropes almost instantly became clichés.
When “Scream” appeared in 1996, the popular horror movie was in a state of decline. A wave of largely careless, cash-grab sequels, like“Ghoulies IV” and “Silent Night, Deadly Night 5,” had destroyed the genre’s already tenuous repute and much of its mainstream appeal. The prevailing attitude about horror at the time was perhaps best articulated by the heroine of “Scream,” Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), when a mysterious caller asks if she has a favorite scary movie: “They’re all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act who’s always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door. They’re ridiculous.” In the very next scene, when the caller lunges out of a closet and attacks her, Sidney runs up the stairs.
“Scream,” which has a new sequel out Jan. 14, delights in this sort of playful, postmodern meta-commentary. The teenage characters frequently discuss, and criticize, the kinds of slasher movies “Scream” resembles, outlining their “rules” and ridiculing their conventions, often moments before being killed in the manner mentioned. When Sidney’s friend Tatum (Rose McGowan) is cornered by the masked murderer at a party, she assumes it’s a prank and gamely plays along: “Oh, you wanna play psycho killer? Can I be the helpless victim?” The killer nods, then proceeds to slaughter her. Slyly, “Scream” invokes and ironizes clichés, then indulges in them anyway.
“Scream” was written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, who made “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984), an early slasher classic in the “Halloween” mold. Craven seemed to resent the legions of imitations and sequels “Elm Street” spawned, and in 1994 rebuffed them with “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare,” a horror satire in which Freddy Krueger appears in the real world and begins to terrorize the cast and crew of the original “Nightmare on Elm Street,” including its star, Heather Langenkamp, and Craven himself. Although not entirely effective, “New Nightmare” makes plain Craven’s dissatisfaction with the homogeneity of contemporary horror and clearly anticipates the full-scale genre deconstruction he would try two years later with “Scream.”
Sardonic self-awareness made “Scream” fresh and novel. That sensibility was ideally suited to the savvy, postmodernist ’90s, and the attendant air of vague sophistication no doubt contributed to its warm reception and enormous commercial success. The impact registered immediately. A sequel, “Scream 2,” which was rushed into production and released less than a year later, (inevitably) deconstructed the conventions of horror movie sequels. Besides several sequels, though, the original movie also swiftly triggered an influx of copycat slashers. “Scream” single-handedly reinvigorated a genre that had been languishing for years.
The post-“Scream” slashers bore a strong resemblance. They typically featured the stars of popular teen dramas; masked, blade-wielding baddies; and, most important, that winking, self-referential attitude that told you the movie was in on its own joke.
The 90-second preview is highly welcome event for fans of the series who have been waiting for years for the film which has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the clip Linda wants to advertise at Wonder Wharf and decides the best idea is to put a bikini on over Gene's burger costume.
begins when a ruptured water main creates an enormous sinkhole right in front of Bob's Burgers, blocking the entrance indefinitely and ruining the Belchers' plans for a successful summer. While Bob and Linda struggle to keep the business afloat, the kids try to solve a mystery that could save their family's restaurant. As the dangers mount, these underdogs help each other find hope and fight to get back behind the counter, where they belong."
The animated show centers on the Belcher family and their three children. The television series first debuted in 2011.
Loren Bouchard co-directed the movie with Bernard Derriman.
The film opens in theaters May 27.
Soul Snatcher follows the story of a scholar Wang Zijin (Chen Li-nung) and a young fox demon Bai Shisan (Li Xian). The unlikely duo builds up their friendship as they become travel companions — Zijin is on his way to the capital for the civil examinations, while Shisan is looking for the soul bead which will grant him immortality. Their bond is put to the test when Zijin realises the soul bead Shisan has been looking for resides in his body and can only be obtained upon his death. Torn between achieving immortality and his best friend, Shisan is forced to make a painful choice.
From the producer of action-fantasy Monster Hunt, Soul Snatcher opens with a cute but touching scene of a little red fox clinging onto the brink of a cliff. Seeing that the fox is about to fall to its death, a young kid pulls it up to safety but accidentally slips off the cliff. The fox wants to help the kid but his sharp claws scratch his hand instead. Sadly, the kid loses his grip and plunges down the cliff. The fox hurries down to his motionless body with watery eyes, and a teardrop lands onto the wound on the kid’s hand. Apart from the computer-generated fox being super adorable, this seemingly random and innocent scene turns out to be a crucial part of the story.
The fantasy plot is also intertwined with hilarious episodes, mostly slapstick comedy. For instance, Zijin and Shisan encounter revolving doors as they try to escape from zombies (as in the Chinese kind, not the Western type). But in the midst of hastily running about through the doors, Shisan ends up holding not the hands of Zijin, but a zombie’s. In another scene, Shisan is swallowed by a frog demon and is blasted out of its mouth hitting the wall like an arrow to the bullseye. Yes, as corny as it sounds, it actually works to jack up the laughter.
It’s a pity that the plot is as messy as it can be. If we zoom out to see the bigger picture, the plot can be split into four parts: the funny frog demon arc; the random brothel arc which introduces a vengeful female ghost as the love obsession of Zijin; the civil examinations arc that expands on the sub-plot of Zijin trying to find a missing person, which feels like the climax but isn’t; and the grand battle in which I think they are trying to do a plot twist by introducing an antagonist — yes, a sudden mighty antagonist towards the end of the movie.
Soul Snatcher just feels like it is trying to accomplish too many things given the relatively short time frame of a movie. It would have been a lot better if it did not have too many side characters and kept its plot straightforward. The way it has been structured seems to be like a poorly condensed version of a television drama, which means it would have done better as a television drama spanning a few episodes.
That being said, Soul Snatcher is still an entertaining film to watch, which touches on personal ideals and values, and the strength of friendship.
After four years have passed, the film 'Terminator' has
finally returned to the big screen. However, the film titled 'Terminator: Dark
Fate' is not a continuation of the previous film, 'Terminator Genisys' (2015).
Meanwhile, John Connor from the future manages to reprogram the Terminator T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Adult John sends him back in time to save little John, his mother, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), as well as destroy the T-1000.
Directed by : Tim Miller
Screenplay by : David Goyer Justin Rhodes Billy Ray
Story by : James Cameron,Charles Eglee,Josh Friedman
David Goyer,Justin Rhodes
Produced by : James Cameron David Ellison
Directed by :Jon Watts
Written by :Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers
Based on the MARVEL Comic Book by:Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Produced by : Kevin Feige Amy Pascal
A college student's relationship with a troubled youth gets put to the test when she meets another man who's attracted to ...
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