Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On

"Baby shark!" -Tony Vlachos Man, that was a heart-breaker of an episode.  I still can't believe Ethan was the one voted out.  What a brutal episode.  This is going to be a tough season, I can tell already.  Some of the gameplay in this episode was pretty brutal as well.  Brutally bad.  Let's take a closer look. Who Played Well: We'll just be sticking with the Dakal tribe for this segment.  Sophie and Sarah managed to pull off a clutch win during the puzzle section of the Immunity Challenge.  Sarah also managed to pull off a heist netting her a Vote Steal.  Good stuff for Officer Sarah. I also liked Yul throwing Tyson under the bus to Sandra.  Creating division between these two is a great move for Yul and I think he'll be able to keep Sandra on his side. Who Sucked: Sticking with the Dakal tribe, the only person I have here is Tyson.  He put too much trust in Yul in thowing out Sandra's name.  He needed to be more subtl

"You've been sleeping for two days.  In my bed." -John Thornton Buck (Terry Notary) is a spoiled and pampered dog living in California.  He is kidnapped and sold as a sled dog and shipped up to the Yukon.  Buck serves several masters in the dangerous and frozen land and quickly learns how to survive.  He becomes an excellent sled dog, but can't shake the primal urge to venture into the wild. There will be spoilers ahead.  I liked this movie, but it has some issues in terms of CGI and as an adaption of the book.  It's worth watching on a five dollar movie night. What Works: Harrison Ford is probably the best part of The Call of the Wild .  He adds a lot of emotional depth to the character of Thornton and he's a much more interesting character than in the book.  He gets a lot more to do than in the book as well and this extra development makes his role in the story more engaging. In the book, the final antagonist is a fictional tribe

"You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?'  Well, do ya, punk?" -Harry Callahan The citizens of San Francisco start dropping dead at the hands of the Scorpio Killer (Andy Robinson).  Inspector Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is put on the case and he's willing to do anything to put a stop to the killer and doesn't care much about the law. What Works: This is one of Clint Eastwood's most iconic roles and I completely understand why.  Harry Callahan is an awesome character and extremely easy to root for.  He's so cool and badass.  He's effortlessly competent and makes for a great anti-hero.  If you think about it, Harry is a pretty messed up guy.  He tortures a suspect for information, he violates tons of laws, and is someone who probably shouldn't be a cop, but Eastwood makes this guy so likable that you can't help but root for him even as he commits morally questionable acts. Andy Robinson is i

"Not okay!" -Logan In the not so distant future, mutants are all but extinct.  Logan (Hugh Jackman) and Charles (Patrick Stewart) are in hiding in Mexico, both approaching the end of their lives.  Logan is hired to escort a young mutant girl, Laura (Dafne Keen), to a safe zone in North Dakota.  However, some dangerous people are hunting Laura forcing her, Logan, and Charles to flee across the country in one last mission to help a young mutant. What Works: Hugh Jackman is amazing in his last ride as Wolverine.  He's always been perfect in the role, but he really knocks this one out of the park in the face of mortality.  It's a gritty, heart-wrenching performance and he carries the film with it. Patrick Stewart is also incredible.  Seeing this figure of wisdom and guidance losing control of his mind is very sobering and Stewart does fantastic work.  It's a tragic end to the character and more than a little depressing, but it's some fant

"He don't go nowhere without his tunes." -Merle Sometime after the events of the first movie, the Ghoulies manage to stow away with a traveling carnival.  They hide out in Satan's Den, a haunted house, and quickly become the most popular part of the carnival.  However, people soon start disappearing in Satan's Den and the entire carnival quickly comes under siege from the mischievous, murderous Ghoulies. What Works: Ghoulies II is exactly what the first movie should have been.  I was expecting a cheep, ripoff of Gremlins and I was bitterly disappointed the first time around, but this sequel hits the mark exactly.  It feels like a low-budget version of Gremlins and it's fun.  It has tons of cheesy, wacky moments and was exactly what I wanted. I love the design of the Ghoulies.  They haven't changed much from the first film, but why fix what isn't broke?  They Ghoulies get way more to do this time around and that means more scree

"Don't mistake coincidence for fate." -Mr. Eko The 9th episode of the second season of  Lost gives us some important Kate (Evangeline Lilly) flashbacks.  We see her blow up her house with her drunk and abusive stepfather, Wayne (James Horan), inside.  After seeing her mother and hinting at what happened, Kate tries to run, but is quickly captured by U.S. Marshal Ed Mars (Fredric Lane).  She escapes when a black horse runs in front of their car causing them to crash.  Kate goes to see her father, Sam (Lindsey Ginter), and tells him she figured out Wayne was actually her biological father.  Sam says he didn't tell her because he knew Kate would kill Wayne. On the island, Kate collects fruit out in the jungle to feed to the recovering Sawyer (Josh Holloway).  On her way back, she runs into the black horse that saved her from the Marshal.  She takes over nursing duties from Jack (Matthew Fox), so he can attend Shannon's (Maggie Grace) funeral.  A deli

"It looked like a hole." -Adam Klein Survivor: Winners at War continues to deliver and another winner that I wasn't super stoked to see again is out!  I can't believe how well this season is going for me.  It's unbelievable.  But how was the gameplay itself?  Who played well and who sucked?  Let's find out. Who Played Well: Starting on Dakal, we'll kick things off with Kim, who managed to find a Hidden Immunity Idol.  Unfortunately, she had to give half of her Idol away.  She picked Sophie, who questioned why Kim would do this and on the surface, this looks like a bad move, but who else was she supposed to go to?  Tyson would be totally willing to flip on her.  She doesn't have a lot of other options.  Sophie is someone who would at least be willing to consider working with Kim if it benefitted her.  Kim was stuck in a tough spot, but I think she picked the best person she could have to share half of the Idol with. Speaking o

"Once a fantasy begins, you must see it through." -Mr. Roarke Five guests arrive on Fantasy Island, a mysterious place, run by Mr. Roarke (Michael Peña), that makes you're wildest dreams come true.  However, the island isn't all it seems and the dreams quickly become nightmares.  The guests now have to find away to survive and escape the island. This movie will be very hard to critique without spoilers.  This is a mess of a film with a few interesting moments and ideas.  Don't waste your time watching it.  Spoilers ahead! What Works: By far the best part of the movie are the early scenes in Melanie's (Lucy Hale) fantasy.  It's pretty reminiscent of Hostel with Melanie torturing her high school bully only to realize it's the real person, not a hologram.  It's a tense sequence with the creepiest character in the movie, Doctor Torture (Ian Roberts), and a clever escape.  It's a shame it ends so early. Another point I w

"I think I broke my head." -Mike Jonathan Graves (Peter Liapis) inherits a large mansion from his late father and moves in with his girlfriend, Rebecca (Lisa Pelikan).  However, a dark force starts to take over Jonathan putting them and they're friends in danger.  Magic and mayhem take over the house as the Ghoulies start to appear. What Works: This section will be brief.  I will say I really liked the designs of the puppets.  Sure, they're low budget, but they're creepy and have a unique look.  I just wish they had more to do. I also appreciated Peter Liapis' performance and I'm surprised he hasn't done more work.  He has some range and he's especially good at yelling and acting all crazy.  The scenes where he screams and shouts are the best ones in the movies. What Sucks: Most of this movie was simply boring.  It takes forever for anything interesting to happen.  There are less than 25 minutes left when I fina

"Gotta go fast!" -Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz) has been on the run his entire life.  He has the power of incredible speed and someone is always trying to take that from him.  Sonic lives in hiding in the town of Green Hills, Montana.  When he accidentally makes the United States government aware of his existence, they send their top operative, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey), in to capture him.  Sonic goes on the run with town sheriff, Tom Wachowski (James Marsden), to flee the mad scientist and his robot army. What Works: Surprisingly, Sonic is actually an interesting and well developed character.  I thought he might be one note and just here to tell jokes, but that isn't the case.  He's been alone for his entire life and has gone a bit crazy.  He's got some issues and that explains his erratic behavior throughout the movie.   He's spent his life talking to no one but himself and I appreciate that the writers used that

"Lousy human bastards!" -Caesar 20 years after the events of the previous film, Caesar (Roddy McDowall) is all grown up and lives in the circus.  He can speak, but pretends not to as he would be considered a threat to the dystopian society that use apes for slave labor.  Caesar sees the brutality the apes face at the hands of the humans and leads a rebellion against mankind. What Works: Roddy McDowall returns to the series playing his previous character's son.  Caesar is wildly different from his father and is an extremely likable protagonist.  He spends the entire film justifiably livid with how the apes are treated and McDowall brings that anger through the screen.  He gives such a wonderful performance that you can't help but root against your own species. The film's villain, Governor Breck (Don Murray), is another highlight of the film.  While he isn't the most complex character, he's easy to hate and Murray gives a very chari

"Are we being punked?" -Parvati Shallow Oh, man, Survivor: Winners at War got off to a great start.  That was one of the most anxiety-inducing episode of the show I have ever seen.  With a cast full of winners, the gameplay is ramped up, that's for sure, but somebody had to play the best and somebody had to be the worst.  Let's figure out who! Like the episode, this breakdown will be a two-parter.  Who Played Well: Let's start over on the red Dakal tribe.  There are a lot of parents on this season and that will definitely help the players with kids to bond.  We saw this with Amber, Sarah, and Tyson.  I think that helped them connect with one another and will make it easier for them to work together. I loved that Sandra and Tony patched things up and hopefully they can work together for the long haul.  Tony also showed he learned something from Game Changers and put himself under house arrest.  Keep calm and carry on, Tony! Finally

"You killed my sandwich!" -Harley Quinn After being dumped by the Joker, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) is no longer under the protection of the clown and everyone in Gotham with a bone to pick with Harley is coming for her.  Most dangerous of all is Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), who forces her to find a valuable diamond for him or he'll cut off her face.  However, the psychotic Roman is on the verge of pushing Quinn and several other women of Gotham too far. What Works: Margot Robbie's performance as Harley Quinn was one of the only good parts of Suicide Squad , so it's nice to see her in a decent movie.  Robbie fully commits to this insane role and while she gets a little too quirky at times, Robbie owns it and makes Harley believable. Ewan McGregor is also fun as the movie's villain.  Sionis is a flamboyant character with some severe rage issues.  He's definitely one of the better villains in the DCEU and brings some danger to the

"Everybody dies!" -Bill Christopher (Chris Sharp), a very lonely man, stumbles across an invitation to a murder party on Halloween.  He dresses up and attends the party in a deserted industrial area.  The party is actually a group of art students who plan to murder Christopher to impress the wealthy Alexander (Sandy Barnett) and earn a grant from him.  Now Christopher will have to find a way to escape from these deranged art students and survive his murder party. What Works: Murder Party is a very funny movie.  It's a black comedy and has some very dark humor.  I laughed out loud quite a few times throughout the film, mostly at the absurdity of the art students, and the humor is one of the stronger points of the film. It takes awhile for the film to get any gore, but for a low budget film, it's pretty impressive.  We got some awesome burn gore and characters getting killed via chainsaw.  That's always fun and it works here. This is a l

"I feel dead." -Ana Lucia Cortez The 8th episode of season 2 of Lost  picks up with Sayid (Naveen Andrews) and Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) fighting after the death of Shannon (Maggie Grace).  Ana Lucia (Michelle Rodriguez) knocks Sayid out and forces Libby (Cynthia Watros) at gunpoint to tie him to a tree, while the others protest at her unhinged behavior. Mr. Eko takes the unconscious Sawyer (Josh Holloway) on alone to find Jack (Matthew Fox).  He and Kate (Evangeline Lilly) treat Sawyer's injuries and learn of Shannon's death.  Mr. Eko refuses to take anyone back to Sayid and Ana Lucie fearing more people will get hurt. Ana Lucia sends Michael (Harold Perrineau) to retrieve food, water, and ammo for her, so she can live in the jungle alone.  In return, she will free Sayid.  Michael arrives at the Hatch and he and Jack arm up to save Sayid.  Mr. Eko convinces them not to when he mentions Ana Lucia's name and Jack realizes he knows her.  

"Please, do not use the word "monkey"!  It is offensive to us." -Cornelius After escaping the destruction of Earth in the previous film, Zira (Kim Hunter), Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), and Milo (Sal Mineo) find themselves back in time when the humans ruled Earth.  The humans are suspicious of the apes at first, but they soon embrace them as celebrities.  However, Dr. Otto Hasslein (Eric Braeden), and advisor to the President of the United States is worried the apes may spell the end of humanity and will do anything to stop that from happening. What Works: The second film in this series leaned more into the action and insanity of this story, but Escape goes in a complelty different direction.  This is a very small-scaled and focused story, which I loved.  This story is about the apes and a handful of humans and how they respond to this crazy event.  There aren't any action scenes until the 3rd act and even that one is small-scale, but all of

"It's a great day to die." -Jamie In this remake, a group of five medical students experiment with the afterlife.  In turn, they each stop their heart for a couple of minutes before being brought back.  The experience expands their minds, but awakens something else...something dangerous. What Works: This remake has a very similar story to the original film.  Not much has changed.  The story as a whole is perfectly acceptable.  It's nothing new or different, but it's interesting enough. The score is very good, especially during the sequences where the students go under.  It feels very ethereal and adds a lot to these sequences. I was pretty shocked that Ellen Page's character was killed off about halfway through the movie.  I thought she was going to be the main character and none of the group died in the original film.  It threw me for a loop and added a sense of danger to the film.  If Page could be killed off, no one is safe.