Make Your Own Halloween Movie Marathon

To give my Halloween movie list would be a bit unnecessary since everyone has different tastes and different favorites. But I’ve seen enough movies to know that there’s more to Halloween than watching Hocus Pocus on cable. Follow our formula to make your own Halloween movie marathon.

+1 Horror

I may not be the biggest fan of the genre, but many are and it would be a crime against the movie going public if I left these films out. I would suggest going with something that features an inherent Halloween concept or character. I choose the smart and edgy zombies from 28 Days Later. The scares are divided into tolerable bursts that make it more reasonable for those with different scare tolerances.

+1 Franchise

If you want to watch a full franchise, I suggest you give yourself more than one day. Trying to jam in too many movies makes the marathon a chore. This is another place for the horror fans to throw in their favorite Saw or Paranormal Activity film, but it also means you can watch something like Twilight. My suggestion is the standout Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This installment is filled with pumpkins, crows, Dementors and an overall look that suggests Hogwarts exists in perpetual autumn.

+1 Tim Burton

One live action Tim Burton film will put the filmmakers stamp on your marathon. He definitely deserves recognition too considering most of his movies fit the season perfectly. You have the option to go old school with Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands, though my suggestions come a few years later. Sleepy Hollow is a classic and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a good one if you don’t mind the singing.

+1 Animated

It’s amazing how many Halloween appropriate animated movies are out now. The past few months have seen three hit the theaters. Including one on your list gives some variety to your October and allows younger family members to join you for a few hours. With that being said, many of these movies are shorter than 90 minutes so they’ll put a relatively small dent in your day. I suggest expanding your Burton viewing with The Nightmare Before Christmas or The Corpse Bride. But Coraline will more than suffice if you want to move in a different direction.

+1 Outside the Box

Many of the films so far are ones you could have thought of yourself. But it’s definitely worth it to try and dig up one that your friends/ family haven’t considered. This could be a sci-fi/fantasy movie or a comedy. My suggestion is the first two features in the “Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy” Shaun of The Dead and Hot Fuzz. Hot Fuzz in particular may not seem to fit, but watch it during this time of year and you’ll find it’s actually perfect.

+1 New Film

Whether you head to the theater for a new release or rent one from earlier in the year, it makes sense to continue adding something new so your Halloween doesn’t get repetitive. This year had ParaNorman, Hotel Transylvania and Frankenweenie in addition to some horror selections. Though my suggestions come from Red Box or Netflix. Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows is a light option and the Daniel Radcliffe vehicle The Woman in Black for those looking for a fright.

What are your favorite Halloween movies?

Your Guide to Appropriate Movie Theater Behavior

As a very frequent moviegoer I have come to follow an in depth list of guidelines dealing with how to behave in a movie theater. Now you may be asking what gives me authority to dictate how others conduct themselves in a public establishment. The answer is nothing. I just know what annoys other people, and unless you like to be passively aggressively hated by a stadium seated room of your peers, I suggest you consider following these guidelines.

Seating Choice:

What may seem like common sense to some in this respect is apparently a mystery to others. Sit where you’d like. But in a mostly empty theater, it’s rude to sit directly in front of other patrons. Not only does it prevent them from putting their feet up, it also imprisons them to hearing your comments and dealing with your cell phone brightness, which I’ll expound upon soon.

With so many previews to sit through it is acceptable for you to be late, unless you have a group of five or more people (four on a weekend night). If this situation can’t be prevented, deal with the bad angle seats that are available. Those who arrived on time have no sympathy for you and will not move down to make room for your tardy clan. If they do agree to move down, they are silently judging you anyway.

Note: The middle seats in a row are less important than you actually realize. It may be worth it to sacrifice that perceived better seat for farther down the row to give yourself some more space between you and potential distractions.

The Usual Suspects:

Obviously cell phones prove to be a huge focus breaker during a movie. But sometimes people “need” to check the cell now and again. If you do have to, turn the brightness all the way down and view the phone underneath a jacket or shirt. Minimal effort on your part to block the light from your neighbors goes a long way.

We’re not supposed to talk, I know. But a comment now and again to your friend in the context of the volume of the movie is okay. Example: a scene with dialogue ends. Cut to a wide shot of a character riding a running horse through the desert. Booming music accompanies it. That is an appropriate time to say that your soda seems a bit flat, not the emotional exchange that’s been building for two hours. And please whisper.

Agree so far? Well it’s about to get controversial. Please continue to bring your young children to the movies. They deserve to experience a golden age in animated features and the constant influx of family friendly entertainment. But they must follow the same rules as the rest of us. That means they can’t wave your bright iPhone around constantly, run through the aisles at will or yell every line from the movie after it’s said. This isn’t your living room. Also, please call the babysitter for shows after 8PM as well as hard PG-13 or R rated material. It’s not meant for the kids and they don’t react well to it. I once witnessed a sold out 10 PM showing of Hellboy II: The Golden Army revolt on a baby because they wouldn’t stop whining and crying. I may or may not have inadvertently started that revolt with a polite request that they please take their baby elsewhere. Then the angry mob chimed in, making it not so polite. Someone yelled, “Come on, this isn’t “Veggie Tales”!” Those are fighting words. Let’s avoid that with your child.

Miscellaneous:

There are a number of less important irksome things to consider. Open crunchy wrappers before the movie starts. Avoid nervous ticks like tapping your foot. That shakes the chairs around you. And general politeness should probably apply all around.

There was an attempt to balance this editorial toward productive tips and stay away from annoyed rant territory. We all like going to the movies. And only YOU can prevent obnoxious theater experiences. Or you can just go to the movies on Monday nights and at 10 AM on Saturday mornings like I do. Nobody else is there.

Tim Burton's Non-Halloween Movies

We’re all in the Halloween spirit around here, which mainly consists of watching our favorite spooky movies. While excluding slasher flicks, the list seems to be filled with more and more Tim Burton movies every year. He is the master of the family friendly horror these days. So while flicking through the channels this weekend, I noticed ABC Family was having a “Spooktacular Sunday” full of Halloween-esque movies. Many of them were Burton movies, but not necessarily the ones that should have been there. In order to prevent any confusion, save the following films for the other 11 months of the year. These are our non-Halloween appropriate Tim Burton movies.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

It’s definitely a creepy movie filled with oddball events and imagery. Even candy is involved, but it just doesn’t fit. Especially if you put it up against the other entries in the Tim Burton catalog. I’d even say the film’s inherent brightness is a contributing factor.

Planet of the Apes (2001)

Yes, believe it or not Tim Burton directed the Mark Wahlberg remake, which I thoroughly enjoyed at the time. But even speaking apes and astronauts can’t make this a fitting fall movie. It has summertime blockbuster written all over it.

Mars Attacks! (1996)

I’d actually recommend you not watch this at any point during the year. For those not familiar it’s a weird alien project starring a ton of actors known for movies better than this. I was into the idea of it when it came out. I was eight. But even then it was just weird.

Big Fish (2003)

One of the director’s best films is also one of his most unique. It’s filled with oddities like the others, but it's a balanced film that would appeal to a more wide-ranging demographic than some of the others.

Batman (1989)

This actually fits well with the makings of a good Halloween movie. But if you’re looking to superhero movies for your late October kicks than I suggest you do a little more digging. Jack Nicholson’s Joker spawned thousands of costume imitations, which were accompanied by terrible laugh impersonations. It’s funny, the same thing happened after The Dark Knight in 2008.

Check back closer to the 31st for our list of Halloween suggestions. Tim Burton will definitely be on that list at least once.

The Justice League Begins to Take Shape

Some rumors are hardly worth reporting. We go down this road with projects like Ghostbusters 3, where there always seems to be something moving forward, yet the years pass and the movie never gets made. One that I can remember hearing about while still in high school is Justice League. For those not familiar, The Justice League is the DC Comics version of The Avengers. The main difference is the Justice League is made up of the best of the best in the DC Comics universe, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, etc. The Avengers may seem to fit that bill now because of the buildup, but the exclusion of heavyweights like Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four give Marvel more distributed wealth. DC puts all their eggs in one basket.

Well apparently on the heels of a legal victory over the rights to Superman, Warner Bros. is moving forward with the JL. Since The Avengers shattered expectations, I guess they decided it’s about time. The LA Times is reporting that Warner Bros. is looking at a summer 2015 release for the massive project. That seems reasonable until you realize that The Avengers 2 is set to release during that same summer. Uh oh, we have a showdown.

With that, it seems Warner Bros. will take a different route using Justice League as a launching point for their franchises. Superman will be fresh off his 2013 reboot Man of Steel and the Green Lantern will presumably follow suit from the much maligned 2011 Ryan Reynolds vehicle. But other than that, characters will receive a fresh slate. A rebooted Batman character and the introduction of Wonder Woman, The Flash and any others they care to use from the DC catalog, mean the writers and producers have the tough task of introducing the characters in such a way as to not stall the movie with origin stories.

Obviously the specifics are a complete guess at this point. My hypothesis is that it won’t live up to The Avengers though. Not much can. Plus, who would have thought Thor and Iron Man, two characters with moderate readerships would be so appealing to all the relevant demographics when put on the big screen? But now we’re putting some unknown commodities alongside a brand new Batman. Fickle moviegoers will need some convincing. I’ll obviously be there with bells on, but since I see everything, that’s not that big of an accomplishment.

The Halloween Anti-Monster List

I’m not a fan of horror movies, as you may have noticed from their absence in the review section. But with Halloween quickly approaching it’s worth noting the evolution of horror movies from monsters to overtly gory to intensely creepy. So with that, where did all the monsters go? Well they’re still around. Now and then one of their franchises gets rebooted. The characters also turn up in cartoons or parody roles. But they are most definitely not as creepy as they once were.

In certain cases, these classic monsters are turned completely against type, no longer chasing town folk and grunting. Now they read poetry and play piano. What’s up with that? Here’s our list of least intimidating movie monsters.

Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson)- Twilight

This shmo couldn’t be farther from Dracula. Yes, that’s very noble that he only kills deer for sustenance, (Where was PETA on that one?) but the character is about as intimidating as the Muppet Babies. He sparkles in the sun, he runs like a puppet and his jumping/climbing abilities look like a wannabe Cirque De Soleil performance. Dracula is rolling over in his coffin… which he sleeps in.

Abe Sapien (Doug Jones/David Hyde Pierce)- Hellboy

A very likeable and interesting character, Abe is a rehashing of the Creature from the Black Lagoon. But he’s what would happen if the creature left the lagoon and went and got an ivy-league degree. In context, it works, but when you really think about it, what was wrong with the original uneducated creature.

Sparky- Frankenweenie

A new interpretation, the movie works in redeveloping the original Frankenstein themes. But as a dog, the monster doesn’t do much more than bark, wag and mope. Okay, maybe the last one fits with the original Frankenstein’s monster, but the bull terrier should at least scare people inadvertently.

Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze)- Ghost

When the shadowy demons kill the bad guys, it’s pretty bad ass. But in the meantime, the film’s ghost, Sam, is nice and compassionate. Films like Ghostbusters teach us that all ghosts are supposed to be mindless jerks. Ghost doesn’t seem to agree with that making the ghost a romantic being. Ugh, that’s a cheesy ghost.

Scott Howard (Michael J Fox)- Teen Wolf

Jacob from Twilight is possibly more embarrassing, but Scott uses his werewolf gift/curse to win basketball games and gain popularity in high school. He should be painfully fighting his condition during the day while terrorizing the villagers, killing farm animals, or something like that!

Well, here’s your Halloween anti-monster list. I’m not saying these are bad movies, but with the exception of Frankenweenie, they would probably be best left for the non-Halloween months. Did we forget any other non-frightening monsters?

Do We Have the Next Mary Jane Watson?

Who’s thinking about blockbusters as movies like Argo and The Master are in the theaters? Well, I’ll tell you who. I am. Luckily there’s no shortage of news keeping our dreams filled with big budgets and comic book adaptations. The Hollywood Reporter has… well, reported that Sony has offered Shailene Woodley (“The Secret Life of an American Teenager,” The Descendants) the coveted role of Mary Jane Watson in the sequel to this summer’s The Amazing Spider-Man.

It’s too early to tell if she’ll be good for the role, but with how well cast the first installment was, we trust the good folks at Marvel and Sony. Woodley was widely expected to snag a nomination for an Oscar last year because of her performance in The Descendants, but that didn’t happen. She did receive nods for best supporting actress at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards though. So I suppose her acting abilities aren’t in question.

The biggest question mark for Woodley lies in the difference between her past performances and the Mary Jane character from the Spider-Man comics. If the producers decide to go for the girl next-door approach of the Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire trilogy, then Woodley makes perfect sense. But Mary Jane was originally out of Peter’s league, popular, beautiful and a bit too high maintenance for the guy, who was head over heels for the bookworm bombshell, Gwen. Sure Mary Jane was a good friend and of course her and Peter’s relationship changes. So it’s a tough balance for screenwriter’s Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci, as well as Director Marc Webb to decipher.

The fact that there is even a conversation as to whether or not Woodley is the right decision shows how a few months has made us forget The Amazing Spider-Man. That film surpassed most people’s expectations and quelled the fears that there wasn’t enough time between Spider-Man 3 and the reboot. We’ll be following the Woodley development and other casting news closely. Less than two years until we’re back to web-slinging!

Bringing TV to the Big Screen

It’s hypothetical Wednesday here at What’s Up Movement. With the new network television season in full swing, we’ve all returned to our favorite shows and begun guessing when the new ones will get cancelled. Fresh off the Emmys, it’s an exciting time for a TV fan. But every once in a while the stars align and we are given a movie sequel to a TV show. Sometimes it’s when a failed show seems like it may work better on the big screen. The Nathan Fillion led “Firefly” was cancelled and followed by the movie sequel Serenity a few years later. Other times it’s due to a successful run, the in development “Entourage” movie, "The X Files,” “Jackass,” etc.

So with the many shows that are currently crammed in our DVRs, which ones would make worthwhile movies? Here’s our list.

-Modern Family

Most of the popular comedies would likely suffer from the effects of looking like a made for TV movie. But “Modern Family” episodes roll on with such ease that it seems like each minor storyline could probably play out, and be funny, over a 90 minute feature. It makes sense to turn the show into a film franchise if even to just avoid it being rebooted with different actors down the road. This cast should be in the movie that isn’t getting made!

-Game of Thrones

Sadly “Game of Thrones” doesn’t premiere until the spring, but there’s no denying a bigger budget and film hype would be a big reward to fans. Make the last half of the final book a movie, and see what seasons and seasons of rabid dedication can do for you at the box office. HBO likely wouldn’t let this happen. But that’s what Hypothetical Wednesday is for.

-Revenge

Shows with a fixed plot, like "Revenge,” tend to have a tough time lasting beyond a few seasons. And when they do, things tend to spiral strangely. We’re looking at you “Lost.” So confining “Revenge” to a film would allow for the drama to be more controlled and powerful. It also would prevent soap opera twists and turns.

-Survivor

I don’t have the logistics of such a conversion, reality TV to feature film, but a dramatized account of the show from the perspective of Jeff Probst would be pretty interesting. It could include the drama of the show with behind the scenes quarrels and how crew members actually have to brave nature to make sure panthers don’t attack the 22 year old bartender while she’s snuggling up to the personal trainer from Texas.

-Sunday Night Football

Whenever I look at the weekly ratings, this show called “Sunday Night Football” wins by a mile. It seems a bit violent too with Bears fighting Jaguars and Falcons versus Eagles. But people tune in. Imagine we take the team names and fight their likenesses in an animated movie like the 1987 GI Joe Movie? I can see it now. Cowboys and Patriots have to team up try and fight the superior Giants who have secured Jets to fight with them. No one over the age of 12 would want to watch this movie.