Scream 4

Scream 4 was released on April 15, 2011, and is the fourth entry in the popular horror franchise, Scream. It was directed by famous horror director Wes Craven, written by Kevin Williamson, and stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courtney Cox, Emma Roberts, and Hayden Panettiere. And of course, Roger L. Jackson as the voice of Ghostface.

I've always had a particular fondness for the Scream films, mainly Ghostface, the three main characters, and the self-awareness of the films. It's one of my favorite horror film series, with Scream 1 being one of my favorite horror films of all time. I also love the fact that Scream 3 has a cameo from Jay and Silent Bob, as well as Heather Matarazzo and Patrick Warburton, as well as Parker Posey's role as Jennifer Jolie, but that's beside the point. Overall, I do love the Scream trilogy, very much so. So I was very excited when they announced the fourth one, but not as excited when I found out that this one would be using remakes for it's self-awareness, as opposed to the continuation of the series, into ridiculous territory, like the later Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street films. But oh well, I was still excited to have another Scream film. But does it hold up?

It does. I wouldn't say it's the worst, but it certainly isn't the best. (I'd probably say Scream 3 is the worst, regardless of the cameos.) It is good, but not as good as the others, namely the first two. First, the pros.

The return of Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox is great. It's also quite hilarious seeing David Arquette and Courtney Cox as a happy couple, despite divorcing recently. However, it is good to see the ol' gang of survivors again. Also, the film has a strong supporting cast, including Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Erik Knudsen, Rory Culkin (yes, the younger brother of Macaulay and Kieran Culkin), and Marley Shelton. Yes, Marley Shelton is in this film, and apologies for this spoiler, but she does survive the film. (Yay!)

The writing is great, and just as self-aware as the previous films. It's also hilarious at times. There do seem to be 1 or 2 continuity errors, but nothing important. The directing by Wes Craven is great, as usual. He is the greatest horror directors of all time, and he still knows how to scare the shit out of you. Also, the revealing of the killer, without spoiling here, is a nice little combination of the last 3 film's killers, and their motivations. That's all I'll say.

Now, the cons: The film is very predictable. Iwas able to figure out the killer roughly halfway in the film, but there still was a bit of a twist there. I earlier mentioned continuity errors, namely the fact that Dewey lost his limp. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think you would just completely lose a limp. Like I said, I'm not 100% sure, so for all I know, he could've lost the limp, but oh well, pish posh.

Without Jamie Kennedy as Randy Meeks, the film does feel like it's missing something. It gives us two new film nerds (Erik Knudsen and Rory Culkin), but without Randy, the film does feel like it's missing something. Remember, despite dying in the second, he was in the third for a short while, thus becoming a mainstay of the series. Wes Craven said that he didn't put him in this film, because it would be like he didn't die, but without him, the film suffers.

Overall, it's very enjoyable, but without Randy, it feels like it's missing something. I give this film a 7.5/10, check it out if you liked the first 3 (you probably already have.)

P.S. Shame that Hayden Panettiere didn't have her regeneration powers. :(

Hobo With A Shotgun

Hobo With A Shotgun premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, and got a limited release on March 25 2011. It was written by John Davies, direced by Jason Eisner, and stars Rutger Hauer, Molly Dunsworth, Brian Downey, and Gregory Smith.

This film was based off of a Grindhouse trailer, that you can only find in certain Canadian copies of the DVD. The trailer was made by Jason Eisner, a Halifax filmmaker, and starred his friend, David Brunt, as the titular hobo. It won an international contest to be featured in the film, and after winning the contest, Jason Eisner decided to make his trailer into a film. With Rutger Hauer as the titular hobo.

If you were to take Planet Terror, Death Proof, Machete, throw them all in a blender, and make a film filled with Mexican zombie car chases that was extremely fucking awesome, it would have nothing on Hobo With A Shotgun. Filled with decapitations, blood, gore, genetalia shot off, a baseball bat made of razor blades, armor plated demons, and of course, a shotgun this film is the wet dream of a grindhouse/B movie lover. However, Canadians will love it as well, being that it's filmed in Halifax, and features many Canadian actors.

Let's deal with the acting first. Rutger Hauer has always been an unbelievable actor, and this time is no exception. Quite simply, he is playing a regret filled hobo, who is sick of all the filth that this town is filled up with. He does it perfectly. He's always been a fantastic actor, and I believe that he could play almost any role. As for the other actors, they all do a good job as well. For a Canadian, this film is also quite enjoyable, having cameo appearances from various Canadian celebritises, including Rob Wells, from Trailer Park Boys, as a man who lost his head, Brain Downey, from Lexx, as the main villain, and a particular newscaster that all Canadians love. Also, kudos to Gregory Smith and newcomer Nick Bateman, who play another two of the villains, in creating truly despicable, but enjoyable characters, and Molly Dunsworth, the hooker with the heart of gold, who might be a teacher one day.

Now, I'd like to talk about the effects. Absolutely brilliant. If you watch the original trailer, you know the effects are nothing special, but here, they're amazing. To talk about the decapitation again, the blood shoots up. It looked extremely realistic. It might seem like this is pointless, but I just think in the modern day and age, when CGI is used for almost everything, it's nice to see things that look so real, they must be. I would honestly give this film an Academy Award for it's special effects, but it won't be nominated,, considering how it came out in March, and not the end of the year.

Overall, this film is a complete gorefest, and I love it. It's certainly not for everyone, and it's not perfect, but it's as close as you can get. I give this film a 9/10, a definite a-must for anyone who wants to check it out.

We're going on a car ride to hell, and you're riding shotgun.