Hellraiser

I get further in the Halloween mood with Hellraiser, which respawns the franchise Clive Barker began with his novella, The Hellbound Heart. It's ready to haunt you on Hulu now. 

As with the other films, this one revolves around the Cenobites, a band of interdimensional sadists. "Demons to some, Angels to others" as their leader Pinhead (Doug Bradley) proclaimed. They show up whenever someone opens up a cursed puzzle box. This time, Pinhead (going by Barker's preferred name, The Priest) is played by Jamie Clayton and she has such sights to show Riley (Odessa A'zion).

Riley and her boyfriend Trevor (Drew Starkey) find the puzzle box in an abandoned warehouse. She solves it and narrowly avoids getting a customary blade through the hand. The Cenobites want blood and settle on her brother Matt (Brandon Flynn). She and her friends get on the case. It all leads to the seemingly abandoned mansion of Roland Voight (Goran Višnjić), the evil rich man who last had the box.

David Bruckner (The Night House) visualizes a script by Ben Collins & Luke Piotrowski. What can I say about it? The human characters were average for the most part. That made the first act a slow crawl until Riley and Trevor meet Serena (Hiam Abbass), Roland's former lawyer. Incidentally, she's the most sympathetic of the supporting cast. Riley is quite sympathetic with her goal of finding Matt. That makes her friends' repeatedly insisting she dispose of the box grating. It almost felt longer than its 121 minutes.

The Cenobites overshadow their prey with gusto. Their grotesque visages designed by Josh Russell's makeup team are just as memorable as their original counterparts. Clayton as The Priest is the cast's overall MVP. The Priest's soft voice cuts like a knife as she outlines her plans for her victims. She makes the most of her limited screentime. The same goes for her fellow Cenobites, who have such appealing names as The Gasp (Selina Lo) and The Chatterer (Jason Liles). Although I found much of the supporting cast average, the pain the Cenobites subject them too is nothing less than horrific. That is, except for Voight and his mole (a legitimate twist), which was simply karma.

There's some strong production design and visual effects on display. They go together perfectly when reality opens up to reveal the Cenobites' dimension. You'll feel as distorted as the cast when the Cenobites come calling. It's equally unnerving when their Overlord, Leviathan, comes calling. It's a stunning sight as chain-bound victims are dragged up to meet it; Christopher Young's classic theme (as reorchestrated by composer Ben Levett) adds to the grandeur.

Hellraiser is not for the squeamish. Then again, what Clive Barker work is? Its slow plot is perked up by its demonic villains and unnerving tension. I don't know how it holds up to the originals, but it was a decent film on its own right. Hurry up if you're in the Halloween mood. If not, there's plenty of other films (some family-friendlier) now on streaming to choose. I don't have time to review them all. It's almost time to hand out candy.

Werewolf by Night

 As opposed to Werewolf in the Afternoon with George?

I shouldn't waste a lot of words with Werewolf by Night. It's only 53 minutes, making it the shortest film I'll get to cover so far. In it, Marvel spotlights one of its most obscure superheroes. It's on Disney + now, and with Halloween tomorrow, the clock is ticking.

Ulysses Bloodstone, champion monster hunter, is dead. His widow Verussa (Harriet Sansom Harris) summons five of the best monster hunters for a competition. Their goal is to claim the family's eponymous MacGuffin and slay the dreaded Man-Thing that holds it, thereby becoming the new top monster hunter. Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly) is the event's unofficial competitor. Official Competitor Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal) is actually the Werewolf by Night. He has to keep it secret, or the others will hunt him too.

Michael Giacchino's lush score, Maya Shimoguchi's production design and Zoe White's black-and-white cinematography make it an appealing homage to Universal's Monster films. They're so committed to the aesthetic they even have cigarette burns for reel changes. There's plenty of violent mayhem obscured by the monochrome, especially when Jack goes Werewolf at the end. The Bloodstone's glow stands out as the only bit of color for most of the film. 

Giacchino also gets to direct here. He visualizes a tight story by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron. You'll get the gist of this TV Special in no time. Jack and Elsa are fairly likable protagonists, but most of their competition (save for Kirk Thatcher as the Scottish Jovan) are unremarkable. Verussa is at her creepiest at the climax. The best character is the Man-Thing, aka Ted, a sympathetic plant monster who just wants to live in peace. Ted is portrayed with some impressive motion capture by Carey Jones, while editor Jeffrey Ford voices him.

Marvel's Werewolf by Night is an impressive monster film unbound by its heroic predecessors. There's no end credits scene you have to stay tuned for. It makes for quick and easy Halloween viewing. At least, it's easier than the other film I decided to watch today. It had such sights to show me. Meanwhile, see this film if you want to know how much mayhem Marvel can muster on TV.

Black Adam

 Welp, Shazam's not coming for Christmas. He'll have to face the Fury of the Gods in March. Before that, meaning now, his archnemesis Black Adam headlines his own movie with Dwayne Johnson as the now-antihero. Let's see how this works. 

Teth-Adam was a slave in the Middle Eastern nation of Kahndaq. The Council of Wizards gives him the power of Shazam, which he uses to go on a vengeful rampage. They seal him away after that. He's released in modern times to battle the evil Intergang, who occupy Kahndaq as they search for the Macguffin, the Crown of Sabbac. The people of Kahndaq are grateful for his return. The Justice Society doesn't take kindly to his killing bad guys. He doesn't consider himself a hero, but he'll gladly kill anyone who opposes him. We'll see how he becomes a nobler anti-hero over the course of 124 minutes.

Johnson's Jungle Cruise director, Jaumet Collet-Saura, visualizes a script by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. This is a visual movie full of shocking villain deaths and spectacular superpowers. The former is epitomized by Black Adam's rampage once he's set free. The latter is epitomized by the Justice Society, which consist of Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), Atom-Smasher (Noah Centineo) and Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan). Their dazzling superpowers are complimented by their attire designed by the duo of Kurt and Bart. Now that I think about it, the overall tone is somewhat uneven. But it's still a great looking film. It's also a great sounding film when you factor in Lorne Balfe's grand score.

The actual script is pretty decent. A lot of its heavy exposition is in the prologue, though it's not that heavy. Once that's done, the plot moves pretty quickly. I'd say it's a half-hour by the time the Justice Society gets involved. There's an interesting twist about Adam's history that I didn't allude to. His protestations that he's no hero take a legitimately tragic turn once the twist hits. Sure, it raises some questions about when Shazam alluded to him, but I get their intentions. The film heavily favors heroes willing to kill, though it gives the no kill heroes a fair shake. One might find the basic plot too familiar, but I found it anything but boring.

It helps that Johnson is compelling as Adam. He's much kinder than he thinks he is. His time with Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Sihi), the resistance fighter who released him, and her family, gives him that much needed humanization. It pays off when he relinquishes his power at one point. It's satisfying once he commits to using his destructive power on those that truly deserve it. The Justice Society, meanwhile, have great chemistry with each other and Adam. Marwan Kenzari is fine as Ishmael, the duplicitous leader of Intergang and the later host of the demon Sabbac. Perhaps the biggest standout is the guest star in the mid-credits scene. My screening erupted in applause once he showed up.

Black Adam was introduced in the comics as Shazam's opposite. But this film makes him a compelling independent antihero. That's enough to make me anticipate his cinematic future. Let's hope he'll meet Shazam, even for a chat. For now, let's hope that Shazam: Fury of the Gods sticks to its current date. This film makes me anticipate that one more than ever.

Amsterdam

 Long ago, David O'Russell assured us that "some of this actually happened" in his film, American Hustle. His newest film, Amsterdam, bluntly tells us "A lot of this actually happened." You might ask "what happened?" after watching it. 

It's 1933 and Roosevelt is in office. Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale) is a war veteran who specializes in patching up fellow vets. He and his war buddy Harold Woodsman (John David Washington) are excited that their old General, now-Senator Meekins (Ed Begley Jr.) is speaking at their regiment's reunion. But they never expected to be reunited with the man's corpse. Meekins is dead, most likely murdered, and somebody's responsible. That's what his daughter, Liz (Taylor Swift), wants to find out. But then she's pushed into traffic and the guys are accused of it.

They turn to their mutual friend and wartime nurse, Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie). They spent the best years of their lives in Amsterdam (which explains the title). But they have quite a bit to unravel in New York. Our heroes slowly realize the Meekins' deaths are part of the real-life Business Plot. Only the "cooperation" of fellow vet Gil Dillenbeck (Robert De Niro) can root out the conspirators.

Its story is its biggest mystery. We have a real-life conspiracy and an assassin (Timothy Olyphant) & two cops (Matthias Schoenarts and Alessandro Niva) chasing our heroes. But the heavies are barely there to pose a threat. The film stops dead right when the guys go running for their long wartime back story. A major revelation is reduced to another flashback instead of real time. Its often-meandering exposition is liable to make one zone out. Burt's strained relationship with his wife Beatrice (Andrea Risenborough) is delegated to tell, not show. Its ending is so rushed that you'll feel little when Burt talks about appreciating the little things in life. You're bound to feel its 135-minute runtime before long.

It's not a complete loss. The main trio have some good chemistry together, which made the flashback tolerable. Burt's screwball antics are amusing, and Harold is a fine sane man. You'll be jolted once you realize the truth behind Valerie's supposed neurological condition and that her brother, Tom (Rami Malek), is a conspirator. An imagine spot of hers at the end is as funny as it is shocking. Michael Shannon and Mike Myers have some fun bits as our main trio's benefactors, while Chris Rock makes the most of his limited screentime as Milton, another of Burt and Harold's army buddies. 

The technical aspects are also commendable. The production and costume designs create a visually appealing manifestation of old New York. The makeup department have their own striking contributions: war wounds, Burt's disheveled look and his patchwork faces for fellow vets. The film maybe overlong, but editor Jay Cassidy deserves some kudos for that imagine spot. It's all set to a memorably whimsical score by Daniel Pemberton that would fit right in a Wes Anderson film.

Amsterdam wants to be a screwball mystery and a sentimental drama. It can't pull off that juggling act, but it tries. The conspiracy plot is its most fascinating aspect, especially when it introduces Dillenbeck's inspiration, Gen. Smedley Butler. It's still quite amusing, and its main trio is likable. See it if you want. But I suggest you read about the actual plot as soon as possible. It's quite a read.

Lyle, Lyle Crocodile

 It's rare that I get to see a film on its Day Zero. I've reviewed a few (Dune, Prey), but that averages about once a year at most. I add one more with Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, the film version of Bernard Waber's children's books. Let's see if and how this crocodile rocks.

Hector P. Valenti (Javier Bardem) is a mediocre song-and-dance man hoping to make it big. He needs a new partner and finds it in Lyle, a crocodile who can only vocalize in song (via Shawn Mendes). Hector bets everything on Lyle's debut performance. But Lyle has stage fright, and the act is a bust. Hector skips town and leaves Lyle at his Victorian brownstone.

The Primms eventually move into the brownstone. Son Josh (Winslow Fegley) finds Lyle in the attic, and, after the initial shock, they become pals. The same goes for dad Joe (Scoot McNairy) and stepmom Katie (Constance Wu). Lyle's influence helps the Primms get over their insecurities. Hector even moves back in, and they agree to share the brownstone. The aptly named Mr. Grumps (Brett Gelman) isn't that neighborly and wants them gone. The Primms need to show off Lyle's singing talent somehow. An American's Got Talent knock-off might help.

It's a decent kids movie directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon. Its best gags involve Lyle's crocodilian nature and naive bumbling. Its cringiest jokes include an overlong dumpster diving scene. The songs by Pacek and Paul are sufficiently entertaining. There's an impressive oner during the musical prologue as Lyle and Hector dance all around the brownstone. Josh and Lyle bonding is nice, but Lyle meeting Hector is charming. It's not a revolutionary story but it gets the job done for 100 minutes.

It helps that there's a good human cast. The highlight is Bardem, who is clearly having fun as the eccentric Hector. You'll pity him even when he lets down Lyle, which he does twice. Mr. Grumps is quite goofy as he coddles his cat, Loretta. But his unneighborly attitude makes him hateful rather than entertaining. It was quite cathartic to see Grumps go down at the end. Fegley is compelling as Josh, while Wu and McNairy are likable as Katie and Joe.

Lyle was visualized with some good CGI. He looks and feels like a real-enough creature. His face talks so much when, for example, animal control corners him. His despair in his subsequent zoo enclosure is palpable. Similarly, Loretta is quite an emotive CGI cat. I'm sure she was portrayed partially by a practical cat, but it's hard to tell. You'll love her kittenness even if you're a dog person. 

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is sure to rock many a kid's afternoon. Its story isn't emotionally heavy, and its humor certainly skews younger. Adults may get a kick out of it whether or not they grew up with the books. I didn't; I don't even remember the 1986 animated TV special. I'll certainly remember this crocodile and his hijinks now. I'm sure you will too once you see it. You might never know a better time this month.