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Lisa Frankenstein Movie Review
My girlfriend Mariah Startzman and I recently saw a movie in theaters called Lisa Frankenstein.
It was released on February 9 of 2024.
OK SPOILER ALERT: I’m going to talk about a lot of things about this movie, so read ahead if you wish. If not, either way, I recommend this movie because it’s a fun reinterpretation of Frankenstein, hence the title. OK onward.
The movie is about a teenage girl (Lisa Swallows, played by Kathryn Newton), who is living in a foster home, and is very much a loner and does not fit in any way at all.
Lisa’s stepmother does not like her at all, her father is indifferent, and her stepsister tries to be her friend and include her in things, but again, Lisa is very much a loner.
Lisa likes to go to a cemetery and she becomes quite enamored with one grave in particular. This grave is of a man (listed only as “The Creature in the credits, played by Cole Sprouse) who died in 1837 (this movie is set in 1989) of a lightning strike.
Well, as it turns out, a bolt of lightning ends up bringing him back to life and he goes to Lisa’s house.
Lisa is spooked at first, but ultimately, takes him in, gives him clothes, and becomes friends with him.
The Creature is missing his left ear and right hand, and with Lisa’s help, they both kill her stepmother so that he can get a new left ear.
Also, they kill a male teenager, who earlier in the movie sexually assaulted her when she was under the influence of a drink, and they take his right hand to put on The Creature.
Lisa and The Creature’s friendship ultimately leads to love, at least on his part, but at this moment, she is obsessed with another teenager.
Although she finds out that this teenager is having a relationship with her sister.
The Creature found out about this before Lisa but since he can’t speak, he was not able to tell her.
The Creature and Lisa kill the teenager too but they let Lisa’s sister go.
Ultimately, Lisa ends up killing herself in a tanning bed (which electrocuted her earlier in the movie and also enabled The Creature to have his new body parts put onto him) and her and The Creature ultimately live happily ever after.
Mariah really wanted to see this movie, and I’m glad that we did because we both agree that it’s a lot of fun.
As I said earlier, it’s a fun reinterpretation of Frankenstein.
I highly recommend seeing it.
Oh and as a REO Speedwagon fan, there is a cool moment in the movie where one of their songs is used.
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Centennial Movie Mini Series Review
I have been a movie fan my whole life, but I honestly did not know about this mini series, Centennial, that debuted on television in 1978 and concluded in 1979.
I was recommended this movie by my Mom and one of my cousins, Mianna, when they both told me I had to see this and that it is so great.
My cousin Mianna said she was going to buy this for me and she did.
She did not have to do this but I appreciate it.
The mini series is almost 21 hours long, spanning 12 episodes or chapters, if you will.
It is based on a book by James Michener that is basically about the history of America, and covers many years, centuries actually.
It mainly covers the 1700s all the way up to the 1970s (the book actually goes all the way back to the dinosaur era).
The main core of the movie is set in a town in Colorado that was eventually named Centennial, and covers several generations of people and their families, namely the characters Pasquinel (played by Robert Conrad), Alexander McKeag (played by Richard Chamberlain), Levi Zendt (played by Gregory Harrison), Clay Basket (played by Barbara Carrera), Oliver Seccembe (played by Timothy Dalton), Jim Lloyd (played by William Atherton), Lame Beaver (played by Michael Ansara), and many more.
The cast I’ve just listed is beyond star studded.
Some others include Dennis Weaver, Raymond Burr, David Janssen (who actually narrated it too), Robert Vaughn, Andy Griffith, Anthony Zerbe, Richard Crenna, Mark Harmon, Brian Keith, and so many more.
My Mom and cousin are right: this is a very good mini series.
I think there is too many flashbacks at times, but this did air over the course of a few months, so the flashbacks were probably necessary.
My favorite parts are when Robert Conrad and Richard Chamberlain are on screen, and they are in a lot of it, along with Dennis Weaver’s chapter.
A lot of it is essentially a western, which I love.
I’m trying not to give too much away for those who have not seen this, but again, it covers a wide time span of history.
I love the cast and it is just a very well done story.
If you are into history, or westerns, and just a movie with a great cast, this is for you.
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The Beekeeper Movie Review
I finally saw the movie The Beekeeper in theaters.
It is the latest Jason Statham movie.
I was late getting into his movies (The Expendables was the first that really got me hooked.), but once I did, I became an instant fan.
I own most of his movies and like them all. Some more than others, but that’s with anything.
I think The Beekeeper is one of his best.
It is a very satisfying action movie.
He plays a retired “beekeeper”, which is a very off the grid agent that keeps things balanced.
In the movie, he literally is a beekeeper working on this woman’s farm, when he later finds her dead of a suicide.
As it turns out, she was conned out of all her money by a computer call in company.
Statham spends the movie going after this company, companies like it, and the people involved the best way he knows how.
Again, a very satisfying action movie.
I really enjoyed it.
I grew up on movies like this so I always have time for a great action movie.
Way to go Statham!!
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The Garden Movie Review
The Garden is about a young boy, who has bad dreams, cuts himself, and was just released from a mental hospital.
His dad, who has partial custody of him and is an alcoholic, comes to pick his son up to take him back to his mom’s house, only to get involved in a car accident, going over a hill. No he was not drunk driving.
A man (played by Lance Henriksen) gets them to safety and takes them back to his farm.
Spoiler alert: Everything that happens after this is very interesting. Lance turns out to be the Devil in disguise (Lance does a phenomenal job as always), and he is tempting the boy’s dad by giving him a job on the farm, giving him drinks, and wants him to pick from a tree, which by all intents and purposes, is a tree just like in The Bible in the Garden of Eden.
The boy figures this out and has to fight Lance and try to save his dad.
I really enjoyed this movie a lot.
Sean Young plays the boy’s teacher in it and is very good.
It’s an excellent modern day telling of the Garden of Eden story, basically, but with a Twilight Zone type feel and twist to it.
I love this movie and highly recommend it.
Five stars!!
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The History of Metal and Horror Documentary/Movie Review
I am a HUGE fan of Metal music.
I am also now a Horror movie fan.
So when I found out about this, I wanted to see it.
Unlike most documentaries, which it definitely is a documentary, it also has a little movie wrapped around and within it, which I found very interesting.
It starts off with a guy walking the streets and finding these old tapes and guitar and goes back to seemingly where he lives.
It turns out he is the last survivor on Earth.
He tries out these tapes, one of which is about the history of Heavy Metal and one is about Horror.
They don’t work unless he plays them together. So when he does, a man (played by Michael Berryman) comes on the screen and starts talking about Metal and Horror and throughout this, many music and Horror movie people (Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Scott Ian, Marky Ramone, Phil Anselmo, Kane Hodder, Corey Taylor, John Carpenter, Dave Mustaine, some of the band GWAR, Boris Karloff’s daughter Sara, Nick Castle, Tom Savini, Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, and many more) talk about Metal and Horror.
Other than the movie parts, it’s essentially a documentary, but it’s well done, giving both subjects more or less equal time and the movie parts are pretty cool I think.
If you are a fan of either genre or both, then I highly recommend watching this.
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Trick or Treat (1986) Movie Review
This movie is about a high school kid named Eddie Weinbauer (Marc Price) that is bullied (sadly I can relate) but he’s also a hard rock/heavy metal music fan (I can happily relate).
His biggest musical hero is a fictional rock star named Sammi Curr (Tony Fields), who ends up dying in a hotel fire. However, he leaves behind one more recording that a DJ named Nuke (Gene Simmons of KISS) is going to play at midnight on Halloween.
Eddie just happens to be a friend of Nuke’s and so he gives Eddie a copy of this recording to listen to before the broadcast.
Well, spoiler alert: when the record is played backwards, Sammi Curr is actually speaking to Eddie telling him things like how to exact revenge on the people bullying him and how he is going to wreak havoc on the town.
Sammi ends up coming back alive with supernatural powers and causes trouble, to say the least.
One of my great friends let me borrow this movie many years ago because two of our mutual favorite singers/musicians, Gene Simmons of KISS and Ozzy Osbourne, were in it.
Judging by the DVD box, it looks like they are the leads in it.
Misleading because they are barely in it.
Still, I wanted to check it out.
It took me until recently to finally buy it because frankly, I just wasn’t wild about it when I initially watched it.
But since I’ve slowly become a horror movie fan, I wanted to give it another watch, and this time, I enjoyed it more.
It’s just a fun low budget horror movie, and being such a music fan, I love seeing all the cool posters the lead has in his room, and seeing Gene and Ozzy in a movie is always cool in my book.
And Ozzy is hilarious because he’s playing a Reverend on a TV screen saying that Heavy Metal is bad for the kids. Considering Ozzy is one of the creators of it with his band Black Sabbath and that he was attacked for subliminal messages (not true), I find this so ironic and hilarious.
And Gene is cool as the DJ Nuke.
Speaking of messages, this movie touches on what was going on in the 1980s when music like metal was considered bad for kids, which I disagree with wholeheartedly.
It’s music just like any other form. You either like it or you don’t. I happen to love it and always will.
Charles Martin Smith (Toad in the American Graffiti movies, one of The Untouchables in that movie, and many more projects) directed this movie and has a brief part in it during a high school dance scene.
OK in short, I enjoyed this movie, and if you are a hard rock/metal fan like I am, or just want to see a fun horror movie, then this is for you.
It’s nothing super special, but it’s fun.
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Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III Movie Review
I’ve never been a big fan of horror movies.
However, I’ve really liked the old 50s horror movies and the Halloween franchise for a long time, but not really any other movies.
But for some reason, I’ve warmed up to the idea of checking some more horror movies out in the last few years.
This includes the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, Friday the 13th movies, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies.
I’m still discovering these, and for the most part, I’ve enjoyed them.
I have yet to watch all of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies, but I will.
I’ve only seen the first 3 (reviews of 1 and 2 are here) and here is my review of the 3rd movie.
I heard that this movie was not that great and that a lot of editing was done to this movie.
But after seeing the Unrated version (I did not watch the Theatrical version because it seemed to just be shorter.) I enjoyed it.
It was more serious in tone than the 2nd one and seemed to try to get back to more of how the first movie is.
None of these I’m sure will have the legacy or impact the first one has, but again, I enjoyed this.
If you’re a fan of 1 and/or 2, you should see this.
Again, I don’t know why I’m becoming a horror movie fan, but I am.
I look forward to discovering more.
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 Movie Review
Director Tobe Hooper, who made the first The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie, returns with this long awaited sequel to the 1974 horror movie classic.
Spoiler alert: More killing from Leatherface and his family happen in this movie.
Dennis Hopper plays a Texas Ranger bent on seeking revenge on the Sawyer family, consisting of Leatherface, Chop-Top (played by Bill Mosely), Cook (played by James Siedow, who is the one returning cast member from the first movie), and Grandpa. A radio DJ is also involved in helping Hopper.
The first movie is much more a real scary thriller but with a documentary feel to it.
This movie is still wild, but it’s not meant to be taken seriously.
As grotesque as it gets at times, it’s just a fun horror movie, I think.
If you like the first movie, you should like this one. Maybe more so, who knows.
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“The Iron Claw” Movie Review
I saw a movie called “The Iron Claw” on premiere night, Thursday night of December 21.
This movie is based on a true story about the Von Erich family.
They are well known to wrestling fans as a very famous wrestling family.
The father, Fritz Von Erich (real name Jack Adkisson) was a wrestler for many years and eventually became a wrestling promoter.
Many of his sons, Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris Von Erich/Adkisson got into the wrestling business later on.
And for those that don’t know, many of the brothers suffer tragic passings. Some would say this family was cursed. Even the oldest son died very tragically as a very little boy.
This movie is definitely about all of this, but the movie mainly focuses on the family itself and their dynamic.
If you’re going into this expecting just wrestling or more of a documentary, you will not get that.
If you want to see documentaries about this, there are a few great ones you can see.
There is wrestling in this for sure, but again, it’s more about the family. And since it is a movie, there is only so much time. So some aspects of the story are rushed, changed, or left out.
But all considering, coming from someone who knows this story pretty well and am a fan (I was able to see Kerry wrestle in 1991 when I was 8.), I think the filmmakers did a very good job with this movie.
And even if you’re not a wrestling fan or know nothing about this story, you can still enjoy it as a movie and story.
The actors are perfectly cast. The locations are great. For example, the recreation of the arena they wrestled at a lot and was more or less their main office looks pretty good, especially on the outside.
Some real footage is used in the background occasionally, which is a nice touch. Kevin (the only Von Erich still alive) and his sons and some of the other kids in the family were involved in the behind the scenes of this, which is great.
Everyone will have their opinion and some I’m sure will complain about some people not being portrayed (Chris Von Erich is ignored completely, which I think is weird.) or portrayed right in it.
But as a fan, I think it was a well done movie.
Warning: It is a sad story, especially later on. So be prepared to cry or feel bad at times. It’s quite the emotional rollercoaster. But sadly, that’s the reality of this story.
But I recommend seeing this because it is a story that not everyone knows about. I’m amazed it took this long for a movie to be made about this because it has movie written all over it.
Check it out and see for yourself.
Feel free to comment on this post. I’d love to hear what everyone thinks about the movie or what they think about the real life story in general.
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movie Review
As I’ve said in previous blogs, I was not a horror movie fan growing up.
It was not until 2022 that I finally watched all of the Freddy Krueger and Jason movies.
As of November 26 of 2023, I can say that I finally saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie.
I watched the 40th anniversary (the movie is now 50 years old as of this writing) DVD with 4 commentary tracks.
Director/Producer/Co-Writer Tobe Hooper made this movie in 1973.
It eventually spawned several sequels and remakes, but this is the original.
I can definitely say it is a scary movie, but not a very bloody/gory movie like I thought it would be.
It’s way more of a psychological horror movie.
It’s about a group of people on a road trip that goes very wrong, in which (spoiler alert) most of them are killed by a cannibal named Leatherface, who uses a chainsaw to cut up their bodies and he and his two brothers eat them and their other victims.
Most of this is not shown, again this is not a blood and guts movie by any means, but if you watch it, you get the point.
Very effective story, and it still holds up.
It’s always been heralded as one of the scariest movies (it was not shown in UK theaters for 28 years because it was deemed unacceptable viewing to the general public) , and even though it’s not very bloody, I’ll agree it’s definitely scary.
And even though it was a very low budget movie, it was well done, and again, still holds up 50 years later.
