Sam Corner: The Film Fella

Movie franchises are always changing. Reboots, remakes, soft reboots... hard reboots? Well, you name it. But there's one franchise in particular that has changed significantly throughout the years, and that franchise is Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead. From a dark indie horror to the most ridiculous and comedic cult sensation of all time, Raimi's masterful telling of a charismatic man with a chainsaw for a hand battling an assortment of demons interests me for that reason... how it has changed so much and why. In the past week I've binged all of the original movies, the 2013 reboot and the amazing Ash vs Evil Dead TV series. So, where to begin?

The original The Evil Dead movie from 1981 was an indie hit back in the day, with first time filmmaker Raimi (who went onto direct the Spider-Man trilogy) and his buddy Bruce Campbell coming together to create a dark and very bloody horror film that was like nothing that anybody had ever seen. Having gotten financing after the success of his short film Within the Woods, Raimi made something quite special, which gained popularity from author Stephen King giving a glowing review of the film. And a horror it was, with some grotesque violence, daunting cinematography and a great performance from Campbell as the franchise's main protagonist Ash, this film shaped what the franchise has become today. Well, until the film was made redundant.

The second movie, Evil Dead II, ended up becoming a reboot of sorts, as Raimi and Campbell lost the rights to the first film, their own movie, because Hollywood. Yeah, shame, yet maybe it was a good thing. The second movie is just... insane. A crazy B-movie comedy than a horror film, Campbell returned to the cabin as Ash, taking on the Book of the Dead and the Deadites once again, plunging into insanity further with ridiculous writing and plenty of laughs. It's as if Raimi and Campbell realised how ridiculous the idea of the films were and how generic the horror genre was, so, they didn't spare the horses. The camp, obscene nature of the sequel is so ridiculous, you'll feel like you're watching a completely different movie to the first, but you're not. It's just amplified to a thousand.

Then of course, at the end of that film, Ash is sent back in time to England, 1300 AD. Why not? Probably my favourite of the franchise, Army of Darkness is as silly as the last film. Terrible puns and crazy surreal shit galore, you'll have plenty of fun seeing Ash pour searing hot water down his throat to get rid of a tiny version of him that is living inside his body. Does that make sense? Probably not. Watch it, and you'll get what I'm saying. Also, the final scene is utterly amazing.

Then comes the 2013 remake Evil Dead, which was a reboot that... might be set in the same universe? Either way, Raimi and Campbell produced it, with director Fede Alarez taking over from Raimi and doing something different - taking the franchise back to it's roots and turning it into a very dark and disturbing horror movie. Plenty of blood and gore for sure. For me though, I wasn't a big fan. It did dare to do something a little different but... without Ash and the campiness I wasn't sold. 

And then, Ash's story continued. Starz picked up the show Ash vs Evil Dead, which takes place thirty years after Ash is returned to present day after Army of Darkness. Now this is The Evil Dead. This is the kind of show that encapsulates everything the franchise became. The humour is back, with a riveting performance from Campbell throughout who is having the time of his life, and Raimi producing. Unfortunately, the show has been cancelled after it's third season. But it's definitely worth watching. Even linking and bringing the original film back into canon somewhat, Ash teams up with some new friends and battles the Deadites once again, for the last time. Well, for now.

It's crazy to think the vision of a couple of nobodies became the cult sensation it is today. The reason this franchise interests me so much is just who it has changed over time. A horror to a comedy, that never stops to take itself seriously or try to make sense. It's utterly perfect and so interesting to watch. If you need a new thing to get into and binge, please give your undivided attention to a this crazy world. It's everything a horror/comedy should be, and it's a franchise that will never die. In the good way!

I saw Ari Aster's Hereditary this weekend and I was absolutely blown away by how good it was, and it's now proving to be my favourite film so far this year. This is unusual though, because if you know me and follow my blogs you'd know the only horror film I really like is Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. You see, I hate horror. And no, it's not because I'm scared (contrary to popular belief) but it is actually down to the fact that they're just... well they're just a load of shit.

Hereditary is great. Whilst having a cliche result in the end, I couldn't really fault this film too much at all. It's suspenseful as hell, creepy as ever and the performances all round are spectacular. The writing is on point here, and that's particularly what this film does best. Your typical horror film of today is your standard cookie cutter... well horror film. Under written characters, awful and unconvincing performances, cliche stories and of course, no actual scares at all. Just jumpscares. SO MANY JUMPSCARES.

You'll be glad to know that there are no jumpscares in Hereditary. Everything is a build of tension, genuinely hard hitting moments and great uses of direction to show off genuine scares. But the real horror to it is how the family deal with grief, sorrow and how they all change as a family through their losses. It's genuinely clever and deep stuff. And even when that cliche plot device does happen, it still doesn't take away from everything else that happens. It has complete purpose and an identity of his own. Yet, the general audience hate it. Why? Are they not allowed to have opinions? Of course they are. But I think the problem is how horror fans are so incredibly brainwashed by the Hollywood horror machine.

It's no wonder that so many filmmakers have resorted to making purposely bad horror films such as Patchwork which is, on my recommendation, hilarious. It's so bad, and the best bit is it knows it is. It's not to be taken seriously at all, it's ultimately a parody of how generic horror films are today. It's kinda like how I speak about the comedy, where comedies are all the same today. And that's basically what horror is, there's noting distinct about general popcorn horrors today. The big problem with IT was that it had so much potential to be different and for the most part it was, but it was a bad horror movie. It kept all the cliches a horror would and wasn't scary. It just did the whole thing of telling you when to be scared with the *CLASH* sound, also known as the JUMPSCARE. Which is just part of the problem.

I hate jumpscares. A jumpscare is not scary. It makes you jump sure, but is that really fear? Is that something that unsettles you and sticks in your head for days on end like that horrifying dog man zoom shot in The Shining did for me? We should be able to decide when to be scared of a film, just like the laugh track in comedy, it's lazy. The filmmaker should know how to scare someone properly, with their own distinct style and filmmaking techniques.

Horror is subjective. It is ultimately what disturbs us, what makes us feel uneasy, and what grabs us to these things. We're all a little bit sadistic huh? I guess my point is, there aren't enough original and thought provoking horror movies out there that really are special. And unfortunately mass audiences are missing out on them because of how Hollywood operates the genre. A shame. But let that be a recommendation, because if you really give it a chance, Hereditary will blow you away, as no other horror can do today.

Here we are again folks, E3 time! The biggest convention for all of your gaming news and announcements is back and this year has been a truly excitable one indeed. From Halo to Death Stranding, there's been plenty to pick from for highlights... but these are mine, some that I'm somewhat intrigued for, and some that I'm somewhat super excited for. Let's get into it shall we?

Assassins Creed Odyssey

Alright so this one is a bit of a struggle for me to decide on. While I love the setting and the idea of Spartans and such (Ancient Greece looks beautiful) the gameplay shows this as being quite the same as Origins, the last game. It just seems like a reskin, and there doesn't seem to be that much... Assassin stuff. I do like the RPG aspects welcomed into this one though, and the choice of characters and romancing, but I'm not sure if that'll be enough to keep me interested. I'll keep my eyes on this one.

Forza Horizon 4

So I've never been a big player of the Horizon games, but from what I have played of them, they've been viciously fun. The worlds are always interesting, and the forth instalment looks just as being set in... England. Yes! The trailer showed off some beautiful looking countryside and English villages, as well as some fun looking cars that tie the world together. Count me in.

Spider-Man

It's almost here! The game has already had so much revealed about it considering it's out in September, but some nice new gameplay footage was shown at Sony's conference with the reveal of some classic Spider-Man villains including an amazingly designed Electro. While it does look very Batman: Arkham Asylum, it still looks as though it's going to be a very unique and exciting set-up for a new franchise of Spidey games.

Fallout 76

When this was announced a couple of weeks ago, I was buzzing, being such a massive fan of the Fallout series. Then, when Bethesda brought this to E3, I was even more buzzing. With a map 4x the size of that in Fallout 4, set in West Virginia - what more could be as exciting? The multiplayer was confirmed and my excitement... it wore off a little. Unfortunately we won't have NPC's in this large sprawling world and that really annoys me. I don't mind multiplayer but a single player option would be nice, I don't want always online, that sucks! Needless to say I'll still play this game, but I hope that it may change my mind for the good before it's November release.

Cyberpunk 2077

Holy mother of god. This game looks stunning. From the developers of The Witcher 3, widely considered as one of the best RPG's out there, Cyberpunk 2077 will be a futuristic Sci-Fi RPG, being a first-person shooter too. While details are still scarce this looks like every Blade Runner maniac's dream (me) and I can't wait to see more of it in the future.

American sitcoms are often a drag for me. I love my comedy, and therefore I love my sitcom. But I feel as though Brits have more interesting and unique ways of making sitcoms, just take Graham Linehan's Father Ted and The IT Crowd, two shows that are so incredibly ridiculous, literal and bizarre, but still so grounded. In terms of American sitcoms, South Park and Community have always been firm favourites of mine, but that's amongst all of the crap such as The Big Bang Theory and, don't kill me, Friends. But ever so recently I discovered something else. A spontaneous pick on Netflix gave me one of the most different and maddening sitcoms out there, it's Arrested Development.

What Arrested Development does right is how it is styled. Very reminiscent to the style of Community, it's editing is something that stands out the most and does something different to your average sitcom. That's helped by the great Ron Howard who narrates the show. And it works incredibly well, he acts as if he is the laugh track of the show, the thing that tells you when to laugh, and in a good way. The meta-ness of this show is impeccable, with the long break between season's 3+4 really aged Michael Cera, and this is addressed by G.O.B in a genius way as 4 starts straight after 3, saying that George Michael's time out at sea (less than a day) really aged him. But there are plenty of laughs to have from the actual series. Running jokes are a big thing in Arrested Development and while many will not like repetition, this feels natural here. Jokes such as 'sad walk off' or the 'Mr F' soundbite is genius. Why? Because they give you the same joke, but in different contexts, spread across the series. You're bound to forget about a funny throw away joke but out of nowhere it'll come back a few episodes later totally different, and will make you ache with laugher. It's repurposing of humour, which is really different to anything sitcom or film I've seen, if really fresh and unique.

The characters themselves are all arseholes, they all have their demons, faults and selfish attributes. They betray and go behind eachother's backs all the time, but that's what makes them so loveable, Forget the Trump's, the Bluth's are the most hated family in America, and the show makes it easy for you to not like them, yet still have some sympathy for them. It makes them distinct. Buster is incredibly annoying and over exaggerated as a human being yet you really feel for him and his mother's control over him. Lindsey is a nasty piece of work and neglects her husband and daughter yet you can easily feel for her as Tobias isn't great husband material... but at the same time you really have to feel bad for Tobias for his loneliness and insecurities. As well as a comedy, Arrested Development really can hit you hard and make you appreciate your family more than you already do. Perhaps that's why Michael has to keep them altogether.

If you have Netflix, get this show watched. It's plots, comedy and unique scope really define this as one of the most revolutionary sitcoms out there. With the first half of Season 5 out now, there isn't a better time to do it. But remember, there's always money in the banana stand.

Directed by Ron Howard

Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton

One thing I was really worried about with this film was that it would be really inconsistent in tone. Considering the production disasters that happened, this could have been two different movies put into one. Thankfully, I was pleased to see that Howard took the work already done by Lord and Miller and made sure that it was indeed the same film throughout. The humour is naff however, and when it is funny I'd like to say thats the work of Lord and Miller, but it is hard to tell. Ehrenreich is great as Han Solo. Many feared his performance but I have to say he really excels and comes into his own. He captures the heart of the character and the charisma to boot, and he feels like a different character all the same - which is good! Harrelson and Clarke are great too as supporting characters, but if there is one performance in particular I loved, it has to be Glover's Lando - who is honest to god the best. I've seen people saying that he's doing an impression of Billy Dee Williams, which is to be expected no? He does a great impression all the same. The best scenes in the movie are the ones between him and Han, such as their first meeting, which really put a smile on my face, a big one.

There are other great scenes too, including one where we see Han as an Imperial solider, and it's so pleasing to look at. There's some nice cinematography now and again too, providing some really interesting shots unbeknown to the Star Wars films. But... this is where we start to run out of things to say that are positive. You see this film is very consistent as I said, but that can also be a bad thing, as the writing in this film is consistently awful. Other than the Han and Lando bits and some moments here and there, the writing is so poorly done and just pandering to fans who don't want the pandering at all. Classic Han Solo lines and quips are redone in the film and it's the equivalent to Ehrenreich breaking the fourth wall and telling the audience that they just made a reference to the original trilogy. The thing is - while I liked a lot about the movie it's hard to really say things I really really remember about it. It's just very forgettable in places. And with some piss poor pacing too it's does end up feeling like a drag a lot of the time. And the thing that annoyed me most of all was how the ending was executed. One thing I liked was how the film managed to craft it's own identity - where it didn't feel like a Star Wars movie. That was great! Until the ending, where an obnoxious cameo and and the leaving out of important character information is left out in the hopes for a sequel - which I, and I know a lot of other people, do not want at all.

In conclusion, Solo is a very so-so film. Howard steers it in a comfortable direction after it's development hell but he only just lifts it up enough before it comes crashing down again. It is watchable sure, and it's a great breath of fresh air after the mess that was The Last Jedi, but at the same time this could have been something much better, if only the studio hadn't stuck their big ugly faces in it.

3/5

Wow. Well that was difficult. Seriously, this show is just the worst. The first season, despite it's flaws and it's awful representations of suicide and depression that were down right offensive and crude at least had consistency, a decent structure and some tensity to it. This season? A pointless, disgusting and downright laughable thirteen episodes that deliver nothing but more controversy. So instead of a review, let's get into a rant shall we? In the form of thirteen reasons why the second season of 13 Reasons Why is absolute trash. Buckle in.

13 - Photos are like secrets or something

The amount of times that the first epidote has to drill it in that photographs are like secrets or whatever, is downright patronising. The show runners must think their audience are idiots. And that's just the start.

12 - The dialogue is excruciating

The first season at least managed to have passable dialogue, mostly due to the fact there was source material to go off from. Here? These teenagers speak like children. The delivery isn't great either.

11 - The Writing

The writing in general is terrible, because again, no source material get inspiration from, so the writers just pull this stuff out of their behinds. Awful exposition litters each episode and it feels very pandering. And the main bulk of this season, involving the court case stuff is just so... boring and messy.

10 - The Swearing

I'm not offended by the usage of swearing at all but in this show, the F bomb is dropped so unnecessarily and seems like the writers put them in there to show how 'cool and rebellious' these kids are. Seriously, the usage is so obnoxious and feels so forced.

9 - The Music

Is it just me or do the editors of these shows not know how to edit their music and songs into this show competently? Some of the songs really don't fit some of the scenes either, that or they're incredibly distracting from some important scenes. Feels like a SHIP video some Tumblr girl made on YouTube.

8 - Characters don't think about the consequences of their actions

This mostly involves the jocks of the show, who do things and really don't consider them at all and how it could all go to them and they could get into as worse trouble as they're already in. Then again, all of these characters are idiots anyway so that makes sense as to why they don't notice this stuff...

7 - People don't act like this in real life?

None of these characters act like real human beings. At all. Especially the jocks. They're like generic teen movie jocks and they feel so outdated. Come on, it's 2018, get real.

6 - Why would anyone justify rape?

All of Bryce's friends are horrible. They believe that yes, he raped Hannah and Jessica. But they help him get away with it? If that was my friend I'd disown them immediately. Seriously, are any of these characters real?

5 - Alex

Alex is awful. Miles Heizer cannot act for shit. Get rid of him.

4 - The end of last season was... pointless?

The ending of last season made it seem as though Tyler was about to start a school shooting (we'll get to that) and that he supposedly targeted Alex... but Alex actually shot himself and he and Tyler are actually pretty close. What? When did that happen? What was the point in that ending?

3 - Hannah is still an awful person

I still have no sympathy for her. Plus the visions are so cliche and feel like a desperate way to still include awful actress Katherine Langford. They're so cringey, ugh. 

2 - The finale 'shocker'

The most offensive part of this season is where Tyler is sodomised and beaten, to which he cracks and prepares to shoot up the school. *Sighs*

This scene is not needed at all. Instead, it feels like a desperate attempt to get into the headlines and create some shock value, rather than doing anything insightful with the issue itself and turning it into one of the most offensive and disgusting things in the show. And thats with an overblown, generic looking school shooter element complete with a cliche line: 'Go home Clay.' 

With everything that is happening in the world with these subject the writers go full distasteful here. It's just a ploy to get another season, and it certainly feels that way. It's awful writing and completely disrespectful. Did they learn nothing from Season One?

Bonus Round:

- Using guns and threatening people's lives are just second nature for characters in this show.

- Remember when Justin wanted to kill Clay in S1? Now they're basically brothers...

- How did the guy Tony beat up not recognise him?

- The season long court case becomes pointless in the end.

- The dance was on Saturday 20th April 2018? My birthday was on Saturday the 21st April 2018. Could you not even get the dates right?

1 - The people who make this

That brings me to my final point. These writers don't understand teen problems. I don't feel like I could properly write about depression or rape and such without experiencing it. You can try, but you'll never get to understand how people in these situations feel. That's why the writers and directors shouldn't write for young people in this way. They don't care at all, they have no respect for people going through these problems and would instead rather make a bit of money that telling a compassionate story about real world issues. And that's just sad.

Directed by David Leitch

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, Julian Dennison, Terry Crews

So I've always found Deadpool one of the most annoying characters ever. I know, I think that's the idea, but for me he's just unbearably annoying. Having said that I was pleasantly surprised at the first film, and how much of an achievement it was for Ryan Reynolds and co to make it. It had it's problems but overall the more I watch it, the more I like it. Reynolds makes the character, I prefer Nolan North as Deadpool, absolutely - but you have to take what you can get with Reynolds, he clearly loves the character and material and it's good to find someone with the passion for it.  And... having said that, whilst I don't think Deadpool 2 is bad as such, it's just a bit... too much, and too try-hard. 

The story takes place when Wade Wilson undergoes his latest venture which winds up in him getting in a spot of trouble where he meets a dangerous mutant boy called Russell (Dennison) who is been sought after by a dangerous time travelling cyborg, Cable (Brolin) who plans to kill him. Deadpool sets up a team of mutants including newcomer Domino (Beetz) to help him rescue the boy and along the way, possibly become a real hero.

Deadpool 2 succeeds with it's large cast. At first I was concerned with the amount of characters that were being included, since this is a Deadpool movie, I didn't want it overstuffed but thankfully it works. Reynolds, Beetz and Brolin especially, all work together really well and their dialogue and banter bounces off eachother really nicely. And with that, we get some great action. Director David Leitch is of course really savvy with action due to his work on the John Wick movies and it does show here. There's some nice set pieces with and sequences with Domino in particular that I really liked.

Humour wise however... this film is really hard to talk about in that department. Whilst the first film I felt relied on dick jokes and such, this film does stray away from that - but it really disappointingly relies too much on Deadpool just being Deadpool. By that I mean, it's pretty lazy. The dick jokes seem to be replaced by pointless name dropping and references that really feel Ready Player One, in that these are just done and don't feel earned. Just shouting out that Negasonic Teenage Warhead looks like Eleven from Stranger Things (this kind of thing makes up so many of the jokes) get's really tedious and just isn't funny. Furthermore, jokes that are repeated from the first film get really annoying as well, it's reliance on replicating the success of it's predecessor really shows.

I don't think all the humour is bad - there was one moment in particular where Deadpool and Cable fall down a snow covered hill and bounce around all the way to the bottom - and keep on bouncing along the ground. It felt very Airplane! and Naked Gun, and I thought it was one of the most interesting jokes in there, I really laughed at it! But the rest of the cinema didn't. Part of me felt bad for laughing, yet the reference 'jokes' got all the laughs. Humour is subjective of course but it really puzzled me. It didn't feel right laughing at a clever joke like that when nobody else was, and it made me evaluate this film further.

Tonally it's a bit of a mess too. Where the first film had it's more emotive moments it didn't take away  from the comedy at all, there were still nicely charismatic moments in and out of the serious bits. Here? There are so many emotive moments that don't feel Deadpool at all, and it took me out of it, especially towards the end where it just goes on and on. With a really predictable plot to boot, it was really hard to get attached to this film, which brings me to the conclusion.

Deadpool 2 does try to be different, and it succeeds in that, but by being very lesser in quality to the first film. I wasn't excited or expected much for this film in the first place but I at least wanted a surprise, but unfortunately didn't get that. It's solid sure, but it doesn't work as much as a sequel compared to other superhero sequels out there. If I seem too negative, I will say this. The helicopter scene, as shown in the second picture above, is the best scene in the film. I won't say much, but it's great. See for yourselves. 

3/5