Saturday Sequel presents HellBound: Hellraiser 2

By Paul Anthony

Okay Okay, I get it, I am behind with posting this blog, trust me so much is going on, so just bare with me. Now Justin recently did our classic 13 blog on Hellraiser, so it was a no brainer then to do a review on the sequel, which was release just 14 months after the first film. Now I can tell you that I have watched the first film plenty of times and though, its creepy thought it was a good horror film and usually when films that have sequels come out so soon, they aren’t usually good. However there are few that are a good follow up and that is HellBound. The film was blessed with pretty much everyone coming back from the first film and this includes cast and crew. Only one who didn’t return was Andrew Robinson who played Larry Cotton, though there were a few reasons why that is though Andrew stated he wasn’t a fan of the script and his character was done anyway, which I do agree with. in replace of Robinson, they added Kenneth Cranham as Dr. Philip Channard, the film’s true bad guy. Now Let’s talk about the plot.

This film picks up directly where the first film ends in overall events. We do get a opening where we see Pinhead becoming Pinhead basically and we learn that he was indeed human in the British army and was known as Captain Elliot Spencer before he got sucked in the Lament Configuration. After that we cut to Kristy who wakes up in a psychiatric hospital pleading her case regarding her father and the events of the first film but they blow her off basically or so we thought. The head doctor who we would soon learn is obsessed with the Lament Configuration and after listening to Kristy’s story, Dr. Channard decides to take the bed from Larry’s house in which he then brings over a mentally ill patient to cut himself and the blood results in a skinless Julia being freed. They work out a deal where he brings her more of his patients so she can get all her skin back. Meanwhile Kristy keeps getting hints that her father is stuck in hell and needs help and that’s where we meet Tiffany who is basically a puzzle master. However Dr. Channard knows this as well and kidnaps her to solve the Lament Configuration to enter the world of pinhead. That’s where Kristy enters and confronts Pinhead who allows her to explore since she will be trapped here forever. She also learns that it was her uncle who made those hints to trick her to come to hell. At this point Channard has now become a cenobite himself but a more powerful one, even more powerful than Pinhead, which Pinhead and his team were killed by Channard, After Kristy convinces him that he was once human. In the end Kristy and Tiffany defeats Channard and escape the gates of Hell before it closes on them. But the film ends with a mover getting killed and another one witnesses a pillar rising out of the bed that Julia died on.

Now this film was pretty much on par with the first film. Though it didn’t stand out overall but at the same time it was on par with the first film which helped when you had everyone returned basically and you were able to wrap up everyone story and leaving the series open for what would be the third film in the series. Which gave part 3 its fresh start with hardly any ties to these first two films. If you like the graphics from the first film then you’ll like the graphics here as well. The acting was on par as well, so in the end if you liked the first film then you’ll like this film. In the end I am giving this film a B for a rating and recommend you watching this film if you have watched the first film!!

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Halloween Kills Movie Review

By: Justin Hopkins

**SPOILER WARNING**

Well, here we are, in the heart of the spooky season and the newest entry into the Halloween Franchise has arrived and… had very little interest going into this flick. 2018’s Halloween left me disappointed. H20 being the last one I actually enjoyed, but nevertheless. I try not to let the past effect my opinion so, open mind as I could get and after two viewings. Lets dive in and discuss shall we.

**SYNOPSIS**

The movie kicks us off with Cameron, on the phone. Trying to find Allyson. When he finds Hawkins, who is still alive. Running to his aide, calling for help, with Hawkins saying he needs to die and he needs to be the one to kill him. When we jump back to 1978 and a young Hawkins trying to track down Michael after Loomis shot him. We see young Lonnie getting bullied till cops stopped to ask if they saw anyone. Telling them to get home and a murderer is on the loose. When Lonnie runs away. He has an encounter with Michael after he tripped, but Michael disappears when the cops arrive, Hawkins and Pete. Finding out that it is in front of the Myers house. Going inside and Pete gets grabbed upstairs. Hawkins rushes in, but Myers has Pete held in front of him, with a rope around his neck. scared and trying to do something to save him. Hawkins takes a shot and shots Pete in the neck. Taking the moment of shock, Michael attempts to leave. Hawkins stays to check on Pete while more cops arrive and we see Loomis rush in. Wanting to know if Michael killed again and we jump to today. We meet Marcus and Vanessa at the bar. Who asks a rowdy group to be a little quieter, the group turns out to be Tommy, Lonnie, Lindsey, and Marion. Drinking in the memories of the nightmare that happened to them forty years ago. Tommy even gets on stage to recount the tale. After we jump to Laurie, Allyson and Karen in the back of the truck they were in at the end of the last movie. The Firefighters speeding by to their chagrin. Going along with the Firefighters. As they try to put out the fire. One of whom, falls through the floor. Getting taken out by Michael and the next guy who tries to help and Michael gets free. Killing the rest of the Firefighter on his way. Catching back up with Laurie arriving at the hospital. Seeing one of the guards is Brackett, Cop from the first movie, now Hospital Security. Allyson goes to clean the blood off her hands and Karen breaks down while Laurie is in surgery. When Karen finds Allyson in the Stairwell, telling her the surgery was a success. Mourning the Dad and allows us to go see Michael take out two more people, before going back to the bar. Marcus apologizing for earlier and liking Tommy for telling his story. Him and Vanessa joining he group. When Lonnie gets a call from his son, Cameron. Asking for help. Leaving the bar briefly to see the Sheriff arrive at the compound and back to the bar for them to get the alerts and see the story breaking on the news. Tommy connecting it to Myers, while Marcus and Vanessa just want to get home. Heading to the car, when he goes back to get his stethoscope. Vanessa goes to start the car and startled to find someone is in the back seat. Rushing back in and Tommy gets the Old Hickory bat off the way. Leaving with a big group to go take out ” Michael.” When he attacks the car with the bat. The person drives off and crashes half a block away. Gone by the time they get there. Tommy, gets everyone to agree to round up and go after Michael and that is where I will leave it for now.

**Review**

The best part about this is the carnage and the placements. The kills were plentiful and Myers at perhaps his most brutal. From knives and fingers to eyes. Had a real fun scene where one of his early victims wasn’t dead so he put him over a counter and just started sticking knives from the counter into his back. While his wife watched helplessly. Suffering herself from being stabbed with a light tube. Cameron’s death was especially brutally, cause Allyson was trying to divert him, but he couldn’t be bothered with her at the moment. As much fun as that was, how he placed them was even more interesting. My favorite was him staging Big John and Little John in the position they were in in the photograph. The brutality was on point here.

James Judd Courtney does an excellent version of Michaels Myers. Bringing in a fair amount of intimation to his pace and menace in his body language. Plus, big props to the mask. Loved Scott MacArthur and Michael McDonald as Big John and Little John. Great chemistry and spent enough time with them to make their deaths hit you a bit harder. Andi Matichak was alright as Allyson and Judy Greer was better this time around as Karen. Jamie lee Curtis didn’t do much as her return as Laurie Strode, but was good at what she was asked to do and it was nice to see Kyle Richards return as Lindsey. Wish she had more to do, but nice to see her.

Alright, so this movie had a fair amount of good ideas and doesn’t really deliver on most of them. Lets start with the mob. I like the idea of the town turning into mob justice and can see why they would stamped the wrong guy. Large groups of people overwhelmed by emotions and not thinking, but they don’t let the aftermath mattered. Tommy, the ring leader in all of this just moves on. Moment could have been so much bigger, but they just move on to the next group of kills. The little things like Brackett saying he is turning them into monsters and Laurie saying it’s his masterpiece are dumb, because no. They did that themselves.

The end sequence is terrible. Opting for him to kill the mob and Tommy in these weird slow multi cut sequence. That was more off putting then good. Along with him just killing Karen in an anti-climactic way. Just killed her and cut to black and.. I think he killed the wrong Strode. Allyson is better then Karen, but story wise, seeing the aftermath of losing her child and what she would do in Ends, made Allyson the option to kill then what will Allyson do now. Not a full on negative, but nitpick.

Alright, I understand bringing original characters back and all. As someone who screams about wanting Jaime Lloyd back. My negative isn’t about that, but the way they used them. Brackett could be replaced by anyone. Only here to say the everyone deserves one good scare line. Had Nancy come back to replicate the same scene from the first Halloween with the ending where she dies this time. Tommy is here to say bad lines and pump up the mob. Lindsey was really good and pretty sure most of her screen time was in the trailer. Really wished we got something more meaningful for them.

So, this movie had a good idea and interesting approach, but fail to live up to it. What it does have is some really solid kills, brutality and a few good characters. So, not a complete bust. If you are into carnage candy or a hardcore Michael fan, would suggest it. Can have some fun but would only suggest stream it. Final Grade – C

As always, I hope you enjoyed and….

Thank You For Reading!

Hellraiser Movie Review

By: Justin Hopkins

This has been an interesting few months for Pinhead. Being introduced into Dead By Daylight as a playable killer. Then the other day it came out that Jaime Clayton will be taking on the role of Pinhead in the next movie. While I am very excited to see what comes from that. What better time to look back on the first. It’s spooky season and 13th. Hellraiser certainly fits the bill of a classic, so lets do it. Lets dive back and discuss shall we.

Synopsis

The movie kicks off with Frank buying the box from a merchant. Taking it back home where he works on solving it, kneeling in a square of candles. When a chain leaps out and snags him. We start to pan from room to room and when we return, find the room covered in chains and a totem covered in flesh. Seeing a woman cenobite putting his face together like a puzzle, while Pinhead closes the box and everything disappears. We jump to Frank’s Brother Larry and wife Julia coming into the house. Discussing the potential of moving in. Frank being gone and Larry doesn’t really care about it. An idea Julia does not seem sold on the idea. When he goes off to answer the phone, a call from his Daughter Kristy, who tells him found a room. She goes through Franks stuff and sneaks a photo. Before agreeing to move and they start on Sunday. We meet Kristy during moving day. While Julia is upstairs. Having a flashback to first meeting Frank and the affair she had with him. Brought out of it by Larry coming in. Bleeding from a nail cutting him. Needing her help since he can’t handle the sight of blood. Dripping blood on the floor that starts to absorb into the floor. When her and Kirsty take him to the hospital. The floor boards begin to shake and gore pile form and Frank comes out. Only, a shell of himself. Missing skin and flesh and just a bunch more. Later that night, when Julia leaves the Dinner Party early. Hears noises coming from the room and finds him. She tried to escape, but he stopped her. Asking for her help. The blood brought him back and he needed more blood to put himself back together. After remembering their time together. She comes back and tells him she will do it. We see her go out and pick up a guy from the bar. Bringing him back and killing him with a hammer. Allowing Frank to suck him dry, but he needs one of two more, and needs the quickly, before the Cenobites come for him. After the second, he explains the box opens the door for the Cenobites. Who bring pain and pleasure. That night she has to do everything to get Larry from going into the room. Then beg Frank to not kill Larry. When he gives her a choice. Get another or he is killing Larry. So, she goes out again, and brings a third. Which Kirsty sees her bring home. Since Larry asked asked her to go talk to Julia and see what is wrong with her. Rushing in when she hears the scream and is attacked and trapped in the room with Frank. Using the box to distract him and chucks it out of the window and escapes. Grabbing the box along the way. Getting far away but the trauma and everything getting to her and she passed out. Waking up in a hospital bed. Not letting her out of bed and even locked her in. She turned her attention to the box. Starting to solve it. Opening a doorway. Going inside and immediately chased out by a monster. She tries to close the box and the cenobites arrive. Going to take her away when she says Frank is alive. Reaching a deal. Have Frank confess himself and maybe they will let her go and that is where I ill stop for now.

Review

The gore and carnage candy was fantastic through. The practical effects on Frank rising from the gore pile and all the work they did with the chain cutting into him. The final look of Frank being held in place with all the chains and ripping him apart. This movie needed depending on the gore and they delivered big time.

On those same lines, the prosthetics and costumes were tremendous. All the stages of Frank looked wonderful. The Engineer was great and then there are the Cenobites. All having their distinctive look and personality that spoke through their look. Pinhead is legendary. Chatterer and Butterball were really cool and interesting designs. While I always found the Female Cenobite to be the most unnerving of the bunch. The needles and contraption opening up her throat. Way she spoke and small motions spoke volumes and worked perfectly.

For the most part, the movie was perfectly paced. Building to a wild finish. A really creative dark, twisted story. Of the punishment and chaos that is housed inside the box. Giving you just enough to entertain in the blood soaked violence and intrigue to not only entertain, but open enough to let your mind wonder about the mystery behind it and what more could be inside the box.

The picked up an amazing group of actors and actresses to bring the characters to life. Each of the Cenobites were excellent. Doug Bradley came out like a star, for Pinhead, but the others were equally awesome, with Grace Kirby as the Female Open/Deep Throat, Nicholas Vincent as Chatterer, and Simon Bamford as Butterball. Claire Higgins pulled off Julia’s descent into madness and turn to a villain nicely. Same with Andrew being nice guy Larry to Frank in disguise by the end. Oliver Smith as skinless Frank brought a terrifying presence to the performance. Last, but furthest from least is Ashley Laurence as Kirsty. Turning in a master class and staked her name as among the best Final Girls in horror.

While, I have no out right negatives about this one. I do have some mixed and it surrounds the dream and the homeless man. I did praise them about keeping enough to the chest, but these two things could have used a bit more time. Think she had one dream and homeless man followed her about, eating crickets at the pet store. He was the way to get the box back to the merchant of course, but a little more would have been nice. None of which is going to put much of a dent into what I thought about the movie though.

If you haven’t watched it. Now, is the best time to change that. Fantastic, brutal horror film that is the personification of an all time classic. Legendary characters brought to life by great performances. Fit for any Halloween Marathons. Final Grade – A+

As always, I hope you enjoyed and….

Thank You For Reading!

Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Season Rankings

By: Justin Hopkins

When I thought about doing this ranking. I was overjoyed. I love The Simpsons. One of my favorite shows of all time, but soon became one of the hardest rankings I have ever had to do. There is just so much. Out of 31 Treehouses each containing three episodes a piece and this became a list of razor thin placements. So, we are going to start quick, but let me point out two things. One I am going to keep things brief to not keep you to long and not going to include pics to avoid the load time lag and constant skips as they load in. Sorry, if that is something you wanted.

31. Treehouse of Horror XXIX

Invasion of the Pod-y People – Multiplisa-ty -Geriatric Park

Oh, I want to like this season, but can’t stand how most of these ended. Which is a shame cause they all have a lot of potential. Especially, the Invasion one, but they each crash and burn. Easily the worst of the bunch.

30. Treehouse of Horror XXII

The Diving bell and Butterball – Dial D for Diddly – In the Na’vi

Dial D for Diddly has it’s moment. Homer using Flanders as a paw and the end where Maud has hooked up with the Devil is great fun, but it’s surrounded by The Diving Bell which is just terrible and In the Na’vi is just there. An alright parody of Avatar, but largely forgettable.

29. Treehouse of Horror XVII

Married to the Blob – You got to know when to Golem – Day the Earth Looked Stupid

The Golem episode pulls this episode down the list. He is just overtly obnoxious to watch and I turn it off when I know it is this one. The other two are better but not worth the trade off.

28. Treehouse of Horror XVI

Wanted: Dead Them Alive – Homerzilla – Telepaths of Glory

It was good seeing Sideshow Bob mix it up in a Treehouse episode. Kind of expect to see him more, outside of the casual opener. Getting the long awaited kill over Bart was a nice touch. Homerzilla and Telepaths weren’t quite on the level, but wanted is the Star and they make alright follow ups.

27. Treehouse of Horror XXX

Danger Things – Heaven Swipes Right – When Hairy Met Slimy

Much like season 30 they don’t quite hit the mark but each do have their moments at least. Especially, Danger Things.

26. Treehouse of Horror XXIV

Oh The Places You’ll Doh – Dead and Shoulders – Freaks No Geeks

This one is kind of strange. Freaks No Geeks and Dead and Shoulders are quite low, but Oh the places, is some great fun and the opener by Guillermo Del Toro is excellent. Got to watch for that alone.

25. Treehouse of Horror XXVIII

The Exorsis – Coralisa – MMM Homer

The animation used in Coralisa looks gorgeous. Reason to check it out alone, but Exorsis has a ton of funny moments and good song, but not as good as the Left Alone Again song in MMM Homer.

24. Treehouse Of Horror XX

Dial M for Murder or Press # to Return to Main Menu – Don’t Have A Cow Mankind – There is No Business Like More Business

Dial M For Murder is a twisted fun take on Hitchcock, while Don’t Have a Cow is a fun Zombie Romp and together have enough power to overcome Moe Business. Was not a fan of the play staging/

23. Treehouse of Horror XV

The Ned Zone – Four Beheadings and a Funeral – In The Belly of The Boss

Honestly, this could be higher on the list. Four Beheadings and The Ned Zone have a lot going on for them. Homer taunting Ned with the gun is spectacular, but like I said. Razor thin between these placements. In the Belly of The Boss holds it back just a little.

22. Treehouse of Horror IX

Hell Toupe – Terror of Tiny Town – Starship Poopers

Terror of Tiny Town wins the medal this season, but Hell Toupe doesn;t make it easy for them. While Starship gives us the great scene of Homer and Kang fighting on the Springer Show.

21. Treehouse of Horror XIX

Untitled Robot Parody – How to Get Ahead in Deadvertising – It’s the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse

This one has two out of three going for it, but when the two are It’s a Great Pumpkin Milhouse and Deadvertising. You know they did something right.

20. Treehouse of Horror XXVII

Dry Hard – BFFR.I.P – Moefinger

This is another one of the oddballs. Since Moefinger is just alright and Dry Hard is very skippable. BffR.I.P though is an excellent episode. Lisa’s imaginary Friend going on a kill spree and Homer not only being able to see her, but summon Sargent Sausage to save him had me rolling.

19. Treehouse of Horror XVIII

E.T Go Home – Mr. And Mrs. Simpson – Heck House

Go Home was an amazing parody of E.T and Mr. and Mrs. Simpson should be talked about much more. Heck House on the other hand, could have used a bit more time.

18. Treehouse of Horror XXIII

The Greatest Story Ever Holed – Un-natural Activities – Bart and Homer’s Excellent Adventure

Un-Natural Activities is a treat and loved them going back to when Homer and Marge met and mess with the time line.

17. Treehouse of Horror X

I know what you Diddly-Iddlily Did – Desperately Xeeking Xena – Life’s a Glitch, The You Die

The one with Y2K Bug that ends with Homer and Bart killing themselves to escape the worst celebrities and politicians. Can’t say anything bad about that. Along with the always fun I know what you did parody. Could be higher if it wasn’t for Stretch Dude and Clobber Girl Song.

16. Treehouse of Horror XXI

War and Pieces – Master and Cadaver – Tweenlight

We are starting to get into the parts were all three are bangers. War and Pieces speaking to my budding love of Board Games. Along with enjoyable episodes in Master and Cadaver and Tweenlight.

15. Treehouse of Horror VII

The Thing and I – Genius Tub – Citizen Kong

We got some real classic episodes and moments in this season. Genesis Tub is what brings it down a bit in my book. It isn’t bad by any means, just kind of bland for my liking.

14. Treehouse of Horror XXV

School is Hell – Clockwork Yellow – The Others

The Others is so, so great. The idea of that they are being haunted by their past version f themselves is Chief’s Kiss Quality writing. While Clockwork and School is Hell keeps pace perfectly.

13. Treehouse of Horror II

Monkey’s Paw – The Bart Zone – If I Only Had a Brain

We got the second ever Treehouse now. While they are very endearing and hold up well. They just don’t hit as much as they would as the series moved on.

12. Treehouse of Horror XXXI

Toy Gory – Into The Homerverse – Be Nine, Rewind

The newest one, up to this point, and what a breath of fresh air this was. After missing the mark the past few years this one was excellent from top-to-bottom. Had the horrors in Toy Gory. The zany fun in Into the Homerverse, I will never get Princess Homer out of my mind and the clever story of Lisa fighting hard to finally turn nine, with the help of Nelson. Fun times in Season 32.

11. Treehouse of Horror XIV

Reaper Madness – Frinkenstein – Stop the World, I Want to get off

Homer as the Grim Reaper. What more could I possibly say about that. Just great time. Some goofy fun in Stop the world and Frinkenstein was better then it had the right to be.

10. Treehouse of Horror XVI

B.I Bartifical Intelligence – Survival of The Fattest – I’ve Grown a Costume on Your Face

We start the top ten off with one of the best episodes they got in Survival of The Fattest. Funny from start to finish, with Comic Book Guy choosing death over a five minute run speaks to me as a human being. I’ve Grown a costume, is top notch as well and Bartifical Intelligence is a great opener.

9. Treehouse of Horror III

Clown Without Pity – King Homer – Dial Z For Zombie

This did a lot of things right. King Homer being a solid entry. Fun killer doll story in Clown Without Pity, but the real when was Zombie. The lines, ” You killed Zombie Ned.” ” Ned was a zombie?” are lines to live on forever.

8. Treehouse of Horror XIII

Send In The Clones – The Fright To Creep and Scare Harms – Island of Dr. Hibbert

While Fright does drag back a little. The muscle form Send in The Clones and Island of Dr. Hibbert easily carry it to the number 8 spot.

7. Treehouse of Horror XII

Hex in the City – House of The Whacks – Wiz Kids

Pierce Brosnan as a robot house and a Leprechaun. That will about do it.

6. Treehouse of Horror XI

G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad – Scary Stories Can Come True – Night of The Dolphins

Scary Stories did a whole lot of good stuff in a short period of time. Goldilocks being eaten by the three bears was awesome, but Homer coming through the Ginger Bread wall is so funny. Then you had another classic in Night of The Dolphins and Nelsen getting ghost Homer in a headlock. Season 12 delivered big time.

5. Treehouse of Horror V

The Shinning – Time and Punishment – Nightmare Cafeteria

This is an All-Time classic edition, with a running thread of Willie being knocked off in each episode. Homer try to fix the broken timeline made for some crazy threads, including one world which would have been his dream had he stuck around for one more second.

4. Treehouse of Horror

Bad Dream House – Hungry Are The Damned – The Raven

The very first one, and may not be the most zany, but definitely holds a special place in my heart. Particularly, The Raven. Just a good little episode and with the rest. Got the series off to a hot start.

3. Treehouse Of Horror XVIII

The Homega Man – Fly vs Fly – Easy Bake Coven

I have to be a Groom’s man soon and I will spend the entire time snickering at the thought of naked Homer dancing in the church. We got fly Bart, Birth of Trick or treating and death of the Fix Censor. Treehouse knocked it out of the park.

2. Treehouse of Horror VI

Attack of The Fifty Foot Eye Sores – Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace – Homer³

This was so hard and honest flip flopped with the number one spot numerous times. I adore this episode. Willie as Freddy is epic and Homer³ looks gorgeous and attacking Lard Lad, but alas, couldn’t keep pace with number 1.

1.Treehouse of Horror IV

The Devil – Terror at 5 1/2 Feet – Bart Simpson’s Dracula

Because it is everything that I love about this silly tradition. Bart telling Otto that a Gremlin is on the side of the bus, to see Moleman driving a Gremlin. Flanders being The Devil. The Super Fun Happy Slide, that Bart just had to pull on even though he was going to rid it to his grave. All of the fun, great memories that came from this season and the very best of the bunch.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

By: Justin Hopkins

**SPOILER WARNING**

When we did our review on the first Venom movie, I had some serious reservations about going in. All my doubts were proven wrong and ended up being a really good movie. Going into this one… all of those doubts had come back. Wasn’t to thrilled by what I had seen in trailers. Wasn’t keen on Woody playing Cletus. Thought he could do it, just thought younger would have been better. Then I saw the rating and wasn’t keen on that. My love of the Venom character was always going to get me in the door though. So, lets dive in and discuss shall we.

Synopsis

The movie opens at a reform house, where Young Cletus is talking to Young Shriek, Florence. Who is upset that they are going to be taking her away. Her powers were growing to strong to safely keep her locked away here. When they do come for her, Cletus is enraged. Banging on a window. They get her loaded into the van and start to drive her away. When she tries to escape with a supersonic screech. Only for the cop to shot her. Believing her to be dead. Except, she survived and is locked away in Ravencroft. We jump to today and we see Eddie talking to Officer Mulligan. Telling him that Cletus wants to meet with him. Venom is agitated and Eddie has to stop him from taking a bite out of Mulligan and actually pull him into the bathroom. After a brief argument. They are on their way to meet with Cletus. Who makes him a deal to give his life story if he publishes his words first. Which is a hidden message to Florence. On their way out, they spot sketches etched into the wall. Which Venom is able to draw later and uses that to find a slew of buried bodies. Which puts Cletus on Death Row. Back at home, Eddie and Venom are bickering. Venom is hungry and is fueled on something called Phenethylamine, which is found in brains and chocolate. Since they are out of chocolate. Eddie wants him to eat the chickens, but Venom refuses to eat Sonny and Cher. Caving in and they go to the store but don’t have any chocolate so it’s off to a chicken factory. Which Venom reluctantly raids. Taking control after. Running around. Arguing that they should be heroes and eating bad guys. Even breaking up a mugging that he didn’t need to get involved in. Only stopping his trek when Ann calls. Wanting to meet where they learn that she is engages. Which is devastating to them both. The next morning Venom is trying to take care and cheer him up. They receive a letter from Cletus. Wanting them to be present for the execution. Venom doesn’t want them to but Eddie insists. When they get their. Cletus starts in on him which sets off Venom. Who grabs Cletus, pulling Eddie against the bars and then Cletus against said bars. Allowing him to bite Eddie’s Hand. Getting a bit of his blood on his face. That we see begin to sprout into a Symbiote. That he eats. Eddie and Venom argue all the way home. Which turns into name calling and then a fight. Stuff starts getting thrown out of the window, chickens threatened and finally, Eddie sets off the fire alarm. Ensuing sound sends Venom Fleeing out of the window. Where he attaches himself to a passerby and leaves, but not before destroying Eddie’s bike and flipping him off. On death row, Cletus is hooked up and procedure for Lethal Injection begins when the Symbiote is awoken and Carnage is born. Killing everyone is his path as they escape and that is where I will leave it for now.

Review

One of best part of the movie is the relationship between Eddie and Venom. Outside of the fact that it gives some hilarious moments. The fact that it is a rocky relationship. They each have their own wants and desires. Eddie trying his best to help Venom, but with keeping them hidden and off the radar. While Venom wants to be out. Enjoying the Earth, being able to be a hero and feast on bad guys and it all adds so much to the movie and some of the best parts come from their dynamic.

I do like what they did with them. Him embracing Earth and genuine love fore life. His love of Anne was a nice touch. Thought I would hate the rave scene, but was quite wholesome. Just him liking being around people and then missing the fact that Eddie wasn’t around to enjoy it with him. The look was a lot nicer. CGI looked a lot better. Especially, when it came to the fight scenes.

Then there is the little things. Two of which jump to mind right away. One, they doubled down on the chocolate tease from the first and went into detail on why it was so important to Venom. Having the same chemicals as Brains and compatible of sustaining him. Then showing that Carnage is capable of accessing the internet. As much as I am okay with them changing the characters up, I love it when they get those little details.

The cast was pretty spot on. Tom Hardy does a great job as Eddie Brock and the voice of Venom. Same with Michelle Williams as Anne. Woody has always done Crazy well, and his work with Cletus is no different. Chemistry between him and Tom made for some great scenes. Naoime Harris was a nice addition as Shriek. Adding a menacing presence to her performance and the way she bullied the other characters and handled herself. And got love seeing Peggy Lu return as Mrs. Chen. Was a small role, but was fun when she was on the screen.

Okay, so I do have a few negatives. Two minor and one major one. So, lets start with the minor in Shriek. Now, yes, Naoime really was good, but the way they used her at the end was confusing and dumb. She knew screaming would upset Carnage and upset them both so they start the fight with her screaming. Then what felt like a random, arbitrary moment decided Carnage went to far and wanted him to stop. I get that they needed her around to round out the end, but could have been handled a lot better.

Second, and sure there are people who will disagree with this one, but it really needed that R rating. The first Venom worked with the PG-13 and Venom himself can work like that, but we are talking about Carnage. A character so heinous that Spider-Man questioned his no kill policy and really7 thought it over in the moment. That killing him may have been the way to go. Carnage killed a diner full of people when a reporter got his name wrong. Sure he has a body count, but it does not hit the same as it would have to see him get bloody and he needed that.

” That’s a red one.” That is what Venom said when he encountered Carnage. The reason that he did not want to fight him was because he is a red one. It is silly and Carnage does call him Father, in what felt like a throw away line. Venom talks so much in this movie and all they had to do was put a few more lines of him actually calling him his son and each generation is stronger then the last, but nope. That’s a red one was all we got. This is a short movie. Could have added a couple more minutes and this negative doesn’t exist.

So, after a day thinking it over. Breaking down the things I didn’t like about it and at the end of it all. They are not very damaging ones. I had a lot of fun with this movie. Especially the interactions between Venom and Eddie. The back and forward with Eddie/Venom and Cletus/Carnage. Movie had some great laughs and solid action and I would suggest going to check it out in theaters. Final Grade – B+

As always, I hope you enjoyed and…

Thank You For Reading!

Nemesis Board Game Review

By: Justin Hopkins

It is the beginning of the most wonderful time of year and no better way to get things rolling then with a horror Board Game Nemesis. Made by Adam Kwapinski, Rebel and Awaken Realms. A big box game, inspired by the Alien Movies. Where, you or a group of friends take on the role of a member of a space crew, who is tasked to try and survive “Intruder” attack, while each trying to pull off a secret agenda each player has. Some could be team based or make sure it gets to Earth to the far more diabolical ones of make sure you are the only survivor but more on that later. With how beefy this game is, lets jump right in and start discussing shall we.

The Rundown

So, this is quite the large game and has a bit of a set up time. Even down to what side of the board you wish to use. For the first few games, would definitely suggest the starting side and not the hard side. Shuffle the room pieces and set them face down and topped with smaller tokens. That could represent stuff like slime, fire, broken or nothing. do the same with the engine tokens and random draw a coordinate card without looking. So you don’t know where you are going. Set up the monster bag accordingly and the Intruder Board with eggs and three hidden weaknesses that can be unveiled by taking a human corpse, alien corpse and an egg to the lab. From there you pick your character and their associated deck along with a corporate and personal agenda cards. Keep them both for now, one player gets the player one token and it is time to start the game. Everyone starts in the Hibernation Room with a dead crew member token in the room. You draw five cards and start your turn. You have two actions, some actions call on you to discard, one of which, is explore. Means you can go to a room, if it is unexplored, flip over the piece and the smaller piece to reveal what room it is and what is going on inside said room. Fire, broken, slime. As well as a number of items hidden in the room. If no one is in the room, you have to roll for noise. Placing a noise marker in that numbered corridor. If two markers appear in the room. Remove all the markers attached to the room and draw from the Monster Bag. Placing whatever Intruder miniature you pulled from the bag into the room with you. If their level is greater than the umber of cards you have left in your hand. A surprise attack happens and you have to draw a card to reveal the damage. Unless it is a larva, then you get an infected card and place him on your player board. If this is the first Intruder to appear, each player selects one of the agendas, Corporate or Personal, to keep and discard the other. That becoming their goal for the remainder of the game. Back on the board, you can fight the intruder. Which costs ammo and a roll to see how much damage you administer. Maker the alien and draw a card. If its health is lower you kill an. Higher it lives. You can also try to run and you can get cards to help. Otherwise, the alien may be taking one more swipe at you. Once a person has taken their two turns, it goes to the next and back and forth till everyone has passed or exhausted all of their cards. Which begins the Event Phase. The timer for Hyperdrive goes down one. Same with Self-Destruction if that is active. Draw an event card, Alien attacks or moves and draw a monster token and resolve what comes out. Pass the player one token to the next player and keep going. You can re-enter the Hibernation Pod when the timer gets to the blue, but you better make sure two of the three engines are working, otherwise the ships blows up. If a player has died, self-destruct gets to yellow or you have a key, you can try for the escape pod. Of course, both will require a noise roll and don’t forget to check those infected cards to make sure you are not infected, or you will die from that.

Review

This game might seem pretty intimidating to fist pick up. It is a heavy box, with a lot of pieces and a short story of a rulebook, but honestly, once the game gets going. Everything runs like a dream. You start working out strategies and dealing with the ever changing situations and sucks you right in and all the things disappear into the story and experience and the real trouble hits; how hard this game can be.

The phrase, and everything was going so well never rings more true then Nemesis. Had a game where we had all but one room explored and before we knew it; nearly every adult was on the board and the Queen was chasing me around. It did not take them long to finish us off. Another game where everything was going so well, when the card that kills you if you have a larva popped up and I was dead. So frustrated and so ready to try again, because when all the strategies pay off and you make it across the finish line. This game gives you such a raw, wonderful feeling of achievement.

I love the fact that this isn’t a pure Co-Op game. Sure you work together on some stuff, but you each have that agenda card. Which adds a whole new level to the game. You can be a good person, who is trying to do the right thing cause your goal is to save everyone or make sure we get to Earth, but they can’t be sure cause you could be lying cause you may have picked an evil card (me, I always pick the evil card) Which can be something as simple as get away with an egg or be the only survivor. Adding even more strategy and trying to figure out who to kill the others without it looking like it is on purpose. So many different ways to play and all depends on what you decide to do with your character.

This game is gorgeous. From the detailed board and so many cards. The miniatures are lovely. If you love painting figures you really hit the jackpot with this box and if you don’t. They still look great. A lot of love went into making the box and it shows.

I don’t have any negatives to say. It is more on the pricey side, but they really give you your moneys worth with everything inside. For Board Game fans, especially those who love the alien movies, will love this game. It’s even a fun game to play solo and a blast to play with friends. Couldn’t suggest adding it to your collection more.

As always, I hope you enjoyed reading and….

Thank You For Reading!