13 Craziest Halloween Flicks

With Halloween just around the corner, it's time to look at some good Halloween flicks. You'll notice that some tried and true scare flicks are missing in this list like The Shining and Rosemary's Baby. In their stead, I chose some non-traditional Halloween movies, some that have a morbid sense of humor or a trippy, mind-bending suspense quality to them. I hope you enjoy these movies this coming Halloween season.

Alien (1979; Ridley Scott)
It's a haunted house movie--IN SPACE!! Instead of a psychopath wearing a scary (silly?) mask, you have a monstrous alien lurking about in the air ducts, looking to kill the members of the Nostromo crew. What's great about this movie is how minimalist the set is, using editing, music and cinematography to convey the terror going on. With slow-burning scares, a running theme of horrific rape, a fearless performance by Sigourney Weaver and the weirdest birthing scene of all time, Alien is a true horror classic.

Beetlejuice (1988; Tim Burton)
Laced with the kind of macabre sense of humor Tim Burton is known for, this 80s twist on the haunted house brand of horror is really funny. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis are terrific as two ghosts trying to run the Deetz family out of the house which they haunt. The cheap-looking special effects add a bizarre timelessness as this movie looks like something you remember from your childhood. To be honest, I don't really care for Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse but the rest of the movie makes him slightly more bearable.

Black Swan (2010; Darren Aronofsky)
What says "happy Halloween" better than a ballerina going violently insane from her own unexplored sexuality? Nothing! Natalie Portman won an Oscar for her performance in this over-the-top, melodramatic psycho-horror-sex-thriller that can be alternately ludicrous and legitimately scary. With sinister, mysterious supporting turns from Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder and Barbara Hershey, Black Swan makes for a solid funhouse mirror version of every ballet movie ever made.

Coraline (2009; Henry Selick)
Imagine a place where everything is what you desire it to be and yet unnervingly off-kilter. Coraline Jones (voiced by Dakota Fanning) finds that the Other World is a happy refuge from her disaffected real world but, as it usually does, happiness turns to horror. What I like about this movie is that it takes some real childhood issues--feelings of isolation and neglect--and puts a creepy spin on it, making Coraline an effective horror movies for both kids and adults. It is legitimately terrifying but also really beautiful in its animation. Its Oscar loss is one of the dumbest mistakes in Oscar history.

Diabolique (1955; Henri-Georges Clouzot)
Admittedly, Diabolique is more an exercise in slow building suspense than true horror and that might make it an unsatisfying experience for a viewer looking to be terrified out of his or her mind. But it's a fun movie to watch because a lot of the scenes are really tense and suspenseful. Filmed in a sleek, mysterious black and white, the movie takes a typical noir plot and turns it on its head, mixing in some elements of the supernatural. The twists at the end are good even if decades of horror/suspense may have spoiled them for a first time watcher.

The Game (1997; David Fincher)
While The Game isn't your typical Halloween fare, it works as a twist on the haunted house theme where the haunted house is actually the outside world. Michael Douglas' Nick Van Orten has to travel to different locations each even more terrorizing than the last. Fincher's signature visual style makes this an unnerving experience backed by an outstanding performance from Douglas. As the movie piles on twist after twist, the sense of paranoia reaches an unbearable height until the satisfying but bizarre ending.

Halloween (1978; John Carpenter)
This one is probably the most traditional Halloween movie on this list for obvious reasons. Though the legacy of Halloween has been tarnished by dumb sequels and an unnecessary remake, the impact of the movie is still fresh after 30+ years. The movie is scary, utilizing dread and silences to their max effect. Jamie Lee Curtis, daughter of Psycho star Janet Leigh, shot to fame as a "scream queen" and her layered performance carries the movie. Unlike most modern slasher movies, this one isn't too violent but it's much better for it.

House (1977; Nobuhiku Obayashi)
This Japanese fever dreamlike film is like a psychadelic head trip filled with sinister cats, young teenage girls with names like Gorgeous, Kung Fu and Melody, attacking mattresses and carnivorous pianos. No kidding. Not so much scary as morbid, creepy and downright weird. The movie, about a group of girls who visit a house with a mind of its own, is funny and disturbing and often in the same frame. House is a movie that relies on the viewer just going with it; it's a fun ride especially because of the frenetic editing and creepy sound design.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993; Henry Selick)
Stop-motion animation seems like a perfect fit for Halloween-themed movies as seen above with Coraline and Bettlejuice and below with ParaNorman. This whimsical blending of Halloween mischief and Christmas values is a film that has a lot of heart, wonder and magic but it doesn't lose its scares and jumps. With creative songs, a cool visual flair and terrific voice cast, The Nightmare Before Christmas is an enduring classic that works on both holidays.

ParaNorman (2012; Sam Fell and Chris Butler)
Strangely released in mid-August (probably to avoid competition with other animated movies Hotel Transylvania and Frankenweenie) ParaNorman will unfortunately just miss the Halloween 2012 season with a Blu-ray release in November. But I think it will develop a small cult following in the future because it works as a loving parody of old school zombie movies. This is a joke-filled movie with lots of heart and some genuine scares. Deconstructing the cliches that come with ghosts, zombies and witches, ParaNorman is fresh and affectionate with a terrific message and voice cast.

Psycho (1960; Alfred Hitchcock)
I watch Psycho every Halloween. Well I have since 2010 and I intend to continue the tradition. Psycho is generally considered the father of the slasher movie and it definitely started the trend of violent but sexy movies with low budgets and a cast of sexy but relatively unknown actors (the most famous cast member being Janet Leigh, mother of Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis). While decades of inferior clones and film criticism may have spoiled the ending, Psycho remains an effective horror movie and that is due to the confident direction by Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock and of course Bernard Herrmann's iconic score.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971; Mel Stuart)
Okay, not exactly a traditional Halloween movie. But it has a morbid sense of humor and the Oompa Loompas are foreboding enough to give you nightmares. And the way the kids are dispensed with throughout the movie is like the way the cast of a more traditional horror movie is killed off, with Charlie Bucket as the "final girl." Find me someone who wasn't and isn't still scared by the boat ride scene and I'll show you a liar. This movie is whimsical with a dash of the sinister and macabre and it's a fun movie to watch on Halloween, especially since it's a classic without a designated month for premium viewing (like Ben Hur on Easter).

Young Frankenstein (1974; Mel Brooks)

Brooks' affectionate parody of 1930s horror movies is a great movie to watch if you're not into the whole "being scared" thing. Timeless gags, wacky supporting characters and a brilliantly unhinged performance by Gene Wilder make this a comedy classic. Made in black and white, Young Frankenstein recreates the mood and the cheap special effects of the 1930s with winking sex jokes that are totally 1970s. This is definitely a comedy that you can watch over and over.

Some other hits: Repulsion, Peeping Tom, The Birds, The Ring, The Woman in Black

I hope you liked my list. I definintely had fun writing it up. Let me know what you think in the comments. Have a happy Halloween!

End of Watch: Character Over Action

When I first saw the trailer for End of Watch, to be honest, I had zero interest in it. For one thing, the trailer went on a little long and didn't do much to make the movie seem like more than your standard "cops deal with South Central LA crime." But the pre-release buzz was strong and positive, the reviews were solid (it currently holds an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes). So I rolled with it. And I'm glad I did.

End of Watch is better than your average movie about "cops deal with South Central LA crime." It has a beating heart and an intelligent, dialogue-based script that gives the audience plenty of rich character moments. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal (Love and Other Drugs, Source Code), Michael Pena (Tower Heist, The Lincoln Lawyer), Anna Kendrick (50/50, Up in the Air) and David Harbour (Quantum of Solace, State of Play). Written and directed by David Ayer (Training Day, Street Kings), the film was made off a miniscule $7 million budget, making almost four times that during the two weeks it's been out in theatres.

Brian Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Pena) are two best friends working as partners in the LAPD. Working on a film class project, Brian records his daily duties with Mike on handheld camera and he chronicles (sometimes without permission) his and Mike's dealings with a gang/drug cartel. Mike's wife Gabby (relative newcomer Natalie Martinez) is expecting their first child and Brian starts dating graduate student Janet (Kendrick). As Mike and Brian try to understand just how dangerous this gang and their drug actitivies can be, the gang itself sets out to kill them both.

For the most part, End of Watch is a brilliant movie. When it focuses on Brian and Mike's friendship, as well as their relationships with women, the movie soars. It has an effortless feel; the scenes and the dialogue feel authentic and natural. The movie serves as a "behind the scenes" look at police life; scenes set at the precinct with Harbour as an embittered veteran cop and America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) and Cody Horn (Magic Mike) as two policewomen on the force ring true. Admittedly, though, the dynamic between Mike and Brian and the two policewomen is a little cliche (two goof-off guys balanced with two serious and competent women). I found that this portion of the movie is really strong.

Which is why it is such a disappointment when the movie indulges in cop-drama cliches like a rivalry between Brian and Mike and the gangsters. You know, if Ayer wanted to include that but found a unique and compelling way to show it, then that would have been fine. But the scenes with the gang, which sometimes break away from Brian and Mike, are so full of gangster cliches that it is hard to enjoy. The actors chosen to play the gangsters are really bad, choosing to interpret "dangerous" as "curses a lot."

Breaking away from Brian and Mike to focus on the gang and their drug activities is a mistake. It takes away from the real-life feel of the movie. One of the best scenes is Brian and Janet's wedding, where Gabby gives a drunken and risque mini-monologue about what it's like to be a cop's wife. It's funny, it's interesting and it really develops the characters to make them feel authentic. All the scenes in Brian and Mike's patrol car are excellent too, showing friendship and history between the two men.

Performances from the lead cast are exceptionally strong. Gyllenhaal, with his boyish good looks and rascal charm, is a really strong actor and his performance as Brian emerges as one of his better ones. Pena, one of Hollywood's most dependable character actors, does outstanding work in the movie. He offers a lived-in performance, one that I hope doesn't get overlooked come awards season. The chemistry between the two guys is outstanding. Anna Kendrick turns in a strong supporting role, breathing life into a small part. Same for Natalie Martinez.

Cinematography and editing are both pretty interesting, jumping back and forth between handheld camerawork and conventional camerawork. Ayer's script and direction, as said before, is strong in some parts but weaker in others. At the end of the day, the positive points definitely outweigh whatever criticisms I have about it. It's a strong, unique movie that deserves to be seen.

As a reminder, here's my world-famous ratings system:
1. Buy it on Blu-Ray (must se ASAP)
2. Redbox the DVD (highly recommended)
3. Save it for HBO (deserves commercial-free viewing)
4. Catch it on TBS (doesn't deserve commercial-free viewing)
5. Don't touch it with a 10 foot pole (speaks for itself).

End of Watch: Redbox the DVD, for sure.

'Ek Main aur Ekk Tu' and the Evolution of the Bollywood Romantic Comedy

Romantic comedies in Bollywood have experienced a major resurrection in the past decade. While comedy and romance have always been a major part of the Bollywood tradition, there has been an upswing in quality, a change in tone and a more progressive outlook on topics like sex, family and the place of the youth in the world.

When I saw the Kareena Kapoor-Imran Khan film Ek Main aur Ekk Tu (2012), I thought it was yet another fresh, imaginative, funny film in the tradition of recent Bollywood rom-com hits like Band Baaja Baaraat (2010), Wake Up Sid (2009), Love Aaj Kal (2009), Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008), Aisha (2010), Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), I Hate Luv Storys (2010), Jab We Met (2007), Salaam Namaste (2006) and the film that started the trend Hum Tum (2004) among a few others.

While I hesitate to call this emergence of sophisticated romantic comedies a full-fledged "Golden Age," the last 8 years or so do have all the markings of one. There is a shift towards imaginative filmmaking, nuanced scripts with imperfect but three-dimensional characters, innovative soundtracks and perfect casting. That shift in Bollywood filmmaking began I think with Hum Tum, itself a loosely adapted Indian remake of the 1989 romantic comedy classic When Harry Met Sally.

Ek Main aur Ekk Tu continues the trend set by Hum Tum, Wake Up Sid, Band Baaja Baaraat and the rest. It tells the story of two people, straitlaced architect Rahul (Imran Khan) and free-spirited hairstylist Riana (Kareena Kapoor) who happen upon each other in Las Vegas, get drunk together and wake up married. The film spans the two weeks it takes for the annulment to go through and the pair get to know each other, help each other out and become friends.

The movie takes a typical rom-com setup--an uptight guy and a Manic Pixie Dream Girl forced together by alcohol and coincidences (mostly alcohol)--and infuses it with energy, wit and richly drawn characters. Now, okay, before you start screaming JAB WE MET!!! at me, I admit there are a few similarities between this film and the earlier one.

But EMAET is sort of a wiser, more cynical version of Jab We Met. While JWM's Geet was optimistic to the point of naivete, Riana is damaged but stronger for it. She's seen the worst of the world but hasn't lost her resolve to survive against it. Kareena Kapoor plays Riana with the same energy, winking sense of humor and intelligence as she did with Geet but this time around, there's a lot of pain and suffering behind the jokes, the sarcasm, the party-girl attitude. I could easily picture Riana at 22 being the same as Geet but now she's 27 and she's experienced a whole lot. In some ways, I like EMAET more than Jab We Met for that reason.

Imran Khan plays his character with a repression that's about to burst open; he's innocent but dying to lose that preciousness and break from his strict parents' set of rules and expectations. He finds that chance with Riana but their journey isn't as straightforward as Geet and Aditya's (Shahid Kapur) was in Jab We Met. While the premise isn't exactly unique, the execution should be praised for avoiding conventions. Even the ending defies all romantic comedy traditions that came before it without being clever for the sake of being clever.

Another new direction that these Bollywood romantic comedies are going is a move towards more progressive attitudes about love, sex, family and friendships. Riana's open and liberal family is a direct contrast to Rahul's strict and buttoned up family. Riana's family reminded me a lot of Shruti Kakkar's (Anushka Sharma) family in Band Baaja Baaraat. In that film, Shruti's family had no problem that she was platonically sleeping in the same bed as her male business partner Bittoo (Ranveer Singh). Same goes for Sid's (Ranbir Kapoor) parents in Wake Up Sid, who seemed to be okay that he was living with a young woman (Konkona Sensharma).

Another way these new-age romantic comedies defy convention is the way they present their musical numbers. While they all have at least one full-fledged song and dance number, for the most part they utilize the musical montage. Even when the movies do the full-fledged song and dance number, it's on their terms. Take for instance the subtly subversive "Aunty ji" from Ek Main aur Ekk Tu:



In a more traditional movie, the big number would probably go at this point in the narrative. Post-intermission, when the hero admits to himself that he's in love with the heroine and now we're meeting her family (think "Mehndi Lagake Rakhna" or Saif/Karisma in "Mhare Hiwda Mein Naache Mor").

But there are a few interesting things about "Aunty ji." 1) The song isn't a love song between the two leads, nor does the song have any thematic relation to the movie at all; 2) the song itself is depicted as an already hit song and everyone already knows the lyrics and signature steps; 3) the song may or may not be a sly joke about how Kareena Kapoor is older than Imran Khan both in real life and in character; and 4) the song is photographed with amazingly fluid camerawork, the choreography is exciting but simple and the video is energetic and zany to match the big band Amit Trivedi-composed song.

Speaking of "bands," Band Baaja Baaraat (a weak transition, I know) is perhaps the best example of this new trend of young filmmakers taking Bollywood traditions and making them their own. The love song, "Aadha Ishq" (embedded below), is a great example of this. In a more traditional film, the song would be an full-on dream sequence but the song seamlessly cuts between Shruti's romantic fantasies and real life (Band Baaja Baaraat is nothing if not an incredible achievement in film editing). In her fantasy, she and Bittoo are happy and in love. In real life, however, Bittoo's inevitable rejection of her is written all over his face. He's uncomfortable around her but she's too blinded by puppy love to notice.



It's a brilliant setup: juxtaposing the sweet and romantic Bittoo in Shruti's dream world with the awkward and hesitant one in the real life. It isn't until Shruti experiences a truly romantic, filmi moment in real life--and Bittoo, finally seeing that look in her eyes, rejects her wordlessly--that the two worlds collide and heartbreak wins. This song, which normally would have broken the flow of the narrative, allows for the plot to advance while also giving the audience some insight into the main characters' feelings and mindset.

Both "Aunty ji" and "Aadha Ishq" take well-worn Bollywood conventions--the big dance number and the love song--and play with them to create a new form of musical storytelling, one that both fulfills expectations and defies them.

That's really what these new romantic comedies are about. The genre itself is not inherently surprising. People go see romantic comedies in order to see a typical romance play out with likable leads and some dashes of comedy. But these young filmmakers take that expectation and weave some nuanced and subversive tales without even calling attention to their own cleverness.

With Hum Tum planting the seeds all the way back in 2004, the Bollywood romantic comedy has grown and morphed into one of Bollywood's most progressive and interesting genres. Ek Main aur Ekk Tu is the latest example of a new-age romantic comedy that acknowledges Bollywood conventions but refuses to bend to it. I certainly hope the genre continues to grow so we can see how these young filmmakers can push the envelopes while working within the system.