The Favorite Films Of My Lifetime: 1988

1988 wasn't 1987 tough to make cuts, but there were some omissions I was sad not to be talking about with my 6 film limit.  I know the next year will be a big one too, so its pretty telling there was great run of films in the movie industry from 1987-1989.  Or maybe...I was just soaking in and paying attention to more movies at the time (likely a big factor).  I've also noticed Tom Cruise has been in big movie after big movie, but none of them have yet to show up on my lists (No, I am not a Top Gun fan, sorry).  So, alas, another day, another year another list of 6 movies!

Halloween, Halloween 4 & Halloween 5 Back In Theaters This Weekend!

Hey folks!  Just in time for its 35th anniversary and...the week of Halloween, Screen Vision and Compass International are bringing the original Halloween and 2 of its sequels to the big screen.  They've had a couple showings this month already of these, so I think part of the screenings this week are an encore presentation for those of you who couldn't make it.  Seeing the original Halloween on the big screen is something you just kinda gotta do.  Hopefully you don't get stuck with a shit audience.  The special thing here is...how often do we ever see a revival of Halloween 4 & 5!  Pretty cool to see little Danielle Harris chased by Michael again!  Anywho, check out the link below for theater times near you and preorder yourself some tickets!

http://www.screenvision.com/cinema-events/halloween/

Enjoy the show!

In Memoriam: Jamie Lloyd

There's no kind way to say this.  Jamie's life kind of sucked.  And it wasn't a long life either.  She died on Halloween night 1995 at around the age of 15.  The only positive experience in life she was in her first 8 years.  There was so much this young girl didn't get to fully appreciate and experience.

Halloween 4 & 5's Legendary Cut Scenes

Both Halloween 4 and Halloween 5 have each an excised sequence that has become kind of a thing of legend and maybe that "holy grail" type deleted scene for fans akin to Ripley finding Burke cocooned.  Nobody aside from those who made the films have seen them, and for all intents and purposes they likely could be destroyed at this point.  So people shouldn't steer anger toward Blu-ray/DVD distributors because they can't produce something that they don't have/hasn't been recovered/doesn't exist anymore.  But anyway, I thought it'd be cool to touch upon each one briefly here.

The Ballad Of Bucky

It was the night of October 31, 1988
Bucky had just got to work
Things were quiet
This night was going to be great

In Memoriam: Ted Hollister

Shit, Earl, its Ted Hollister.

You dumb son of a bitch, you said you saw Myers.

Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (1988)

Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers
1988
Director: Dwight Little
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell, Beau Starr, Sasha Jenson, Kathleen Kinmont
Rated: R

We're not talking about any ordinary prisoner, Hoffman! We are talking about evil on two legs.
                                ~Dr. Loomis

The title wasn't just literal for the film, it was an announcement to those scared off by Halloween III.  This is the sequel you wanted.  Tom Atkins would not be returning.  The only mask of importance would be that of the pale faced Shatner.  And here it is, in time for the 10th anniversary of the original.  The film plays as a loving tribute to Carpenter's classic while also carving its way as something of its own being.  To make ties stronger with the first two, Donald Pleasence was also back to reprise his role of Michael's Van Helsing, Dr. Loomis.  Halloween 4 would also return the series to its roots of being a full fledged independent film.

John Carpenter & Debra Hill Depart The Halloween Franchise

Surprisingly, John Carpenter was not against doing Halloween 4.  Following their release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (a very underrated horror-comedy), Canon Films wanted to resurrect another figure of horror's past, Michael Myers.  Jason Voorhees was big business and Freddy Krueger was on the rise.  The slasher genre was experiencing its second wind.  Canon approached John Carpenter to write and direct the film.  Carpenter and production partner Debra Hill still were involved in II & III, just from producer standpoints (and in Carpenter's case serving as composer).  They also shared rights (and much less of them) with the financier of the original, Moustapha Akkad.