By Michael C. Woody | Lake Panorama Times
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
(still in theaters)
With director Tim Burton back in the director’s chair, we get a sequel to his 1988 hit about people moving into a new home that happens to also currently be hosting some ghosts from previous residents. The sequel takes us back to the house with returning characters played by Winona Ryder and, of course, Michael Keaton. While not as good as the first film, this sequel has enough heart and laughs to make it worth a visit. The addition of Jenna Ortega, who played Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series continuing the Addams Family saga, was a great choice. Be warned that when you give Tim Burton too much money, you get total craziness… in a good way. Grade: C+
“Afraid”
(quickly heading to streaming)
This is an above-average horror film about a family that is asked to put a new state-of-the-art AI device in their home for a test drive. What seems like a helpful device suddenly begins to delve into areas of their lives that should have been off limits. It is a well-done scary movie with a great message of caution. Grade: B+
“Speak No Evil”
(still in theaters)
James McAvoy gives another outstanding performance in this film about two families that meet on vacation and then decide to continue that vacation for a weekend at one of their homes. To say that everything is not what it seems is a huge understatement, as this film takes you on a crazy and wild ride into one of the better horror films of the year. Grade: B+
“The Killer’s Game”
(still in theaters)
Dave Bautista plays a hired assassin who is struggling with health issues that threaten to cripple his career. When he falls in love with a woman who manages to survive one of his attacks, his life looks to change for the better. Ben Kingsley adds fun as his “boss” and friend. This is a complete and well-made action film that you won’t have to spend much time thinking about after you leave the theater. Grade: B
“The Substance”
(in theaters)
Demi Moore plays an aging actress whose career is all but over. Not ready to call it quits, she signs up for a service that promises to bring her back to her former beauty and revitalize her career. I’m not going to tell you more than that, other than to caution you that even though it is a well-made and interesting film, it is about as violent and bloody as you will ever see. It is kind of like the end of the movie “Carrie” back in the day but with 10 times more blood. Grade: B
“Transformers One”
(in theaters)
Did you ever wonder about the backstory on Optimus Prime and Megatron? Me neither. I took my 35-year old son and Transformer expert to help me get though the difficult storyline. It is something about two underground mining “bots” wanting to become Transformers. If you are a 10-year-old child, this might be the best movie you see all year. Being 50-plus years past that age, I was bored to tears but understand it wasn’t made for me. Grade: C+
The Murph and Andy (WHO TV news personalities) radio show that I appear on every Wednesday afternoon has moved to the internet (iowaeverywhere.com), and I appear live every Wednesday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. Or you can find the segments on the site, and they can be accessed anytime. Kind of a fun hobby!
That’s all I got today, but we are heading into the “good” movie season when we will see films like “Gladiator 2,” “Joker Folie a Deux” and the final (hopefully) Venom film, “Venom: The Last Dance.”
That’s it for this month. Enjoy the cool fall weather that is heading our way.
Michael C. Woody has been reviewing movies on radio and television since 1986. He and his wife, Susan, are residents of Lake Panorama.