Remake This: The Wolfman (2010)

Hey, we should remake The Wolfman, said someone 15 years ago.
Hey, we should remake The Wolfman, said someone a year ago.

This is, well, The Wolfman, the 2010 Remake specifically.  I'm a fan of the Universal Classic.  In fact, it is literally my Mouse Pad!

This is honestly a case where I'm not opposed to a Remake, as it had been nearly 80 years since the 1941 Original.
Well, 77 years to be exact, as the Film was actually made in 2008.  It just sat in limbo until 2010.

The Plot hits all of the same beats, but changes many, many things.  For better or worse, it is a loose Remake.  It also seems to borrow elements from another Werewolf Film (or two).

Joe Johnston- who has a great niche as Guy Who Can Direct Modern Film that is Set in the Past- did his best here, I think.  If you don't know the name, he did Captain America- The First Avenger, October Sky, Jumanji, Hidalgo and The Rocketeer (all of which fit the Theme mentioned in many ways).

He also Directed Jurassic Park III, but let's not hold that against him.

Can Benicio Del Toro take over for Lon Chaney Jr?
To find out, read on...

In a rare Syfy Opening for a Theatrical Film, a man is chased and killed by a Wolfman!

Oh no!

Said man turns out to be the Brother of our Hero- Del Toro- who meets a man on a Train (an uncredited Max Von Sydow).

Said man tells a tale of a Werewolf and gives him a silver can- complete with hidden blade- before disappearing forever.

That is if you watch the Director's Cut- which I did.
I'm a sucker for Director's Cuts.  I need help!

He returns home to his Dad...who is somehow Anthony Hopkins (just go with it!) and he's clearly bonkers.

This is a change from the Original, where his Dad- more famous as The Invisible Man- is the voice of reason.

You don't hire Hopkins to play subtle though, unless it is real Oscar bait.

As the next Full Moon approaches, Del Toro gets friendly with his dead Brother's fiancée (Emily Blunt) which isn't weird at all.

He goes to the Romani in the area and is there when the Wolfman returns to pick random people off like a Shark.

Our Lead saves a kid from him, but gets bitten on the neck before the creature is run off.

The Inspector from London is suspicious of him, given his family connections to the deaths and his presence there.

They made him a version of a real life Detective, which is neat...but mostly pointless.  It only really informs one exchange.

Either way, I'm a bit jealous of that beard.

Come next full moon, he turns into the Wolfman.

This transformation is full CGI, but still pretty cool.  He's practical in the rest of it, so we're good.

Like the other Wolfman, he kills a bunch of people and then runs off.

This time, the mob and the Detective just show up as he wanders back to the House in shredded clothes and covered in blood.

They throw him in a Sanitarium- like he was in earlier- and do all sorts of mean, old-timey stuff to him.

He later learns that his Dad was that Wolfman and he killed his own Son to keep him from leaving.  Don't follow that logic to any end point.

He also confirms that he killed the Mom, which Del Toro suspected for a Decade or so.

He transforms in the full moon again because the Psychiatrist is convinced that it is not real.
It ends poorly.

Another chase- reminiscent of the Mr. Hyde one in Van Helsing- and he eventually gets back home.

Wouldn't you know it, it is ANOTHER full moon when he arrives and both parties transform to fight.

He kills the Dad, but Blunt shows up- as do the Detective and some men.

He wounds the Detective- setting up, well, nothing- and chases down Blunt.

Depending on which Ending you watch, he either 

A) Doesn't bite her and dies.
B) Bites her and then dies
C) Bites her and doesn't di.

Yes, this Film has THREE possible Endings to pick from.  Thanks, Clue.

A Film that mostly does a good job of updating the source material.

The Plot is- for better or worse- quite a bit different than the 1941 Film.  I like many of the changes.  I don't love some of them.

I just found it very distracting that Hopkins was Del Toro's Dad.  The fact that he went full on Cartoon Villain at the end didn't help.

The Effects here are really good.  The CGI is mostly used sparingly.  The make-up work, by Rick Baker, is great as always.

Many people- Baker included- would have liked more time to shoot the transformation(s) practically, but there was none.  That's ironic, given that the Film then sat completed on a shelf for two years!

As far as modern Remakes/updates go, this one is pretty darn good.  It has lots of melodrama and is played 100% seriously, so just bear that in mind.

This Film also has the weirdest case of 'Wait- That's What I Know Him From?!?' in a long time.

Art Malik plays Hopkins' Sikh Manservant...

...but you would know him as the bad guy in True Lies!

Next up, a Film that moved up my list after a personal recommendation.  Let's see what kind of teeth it has!

Tubi Thursday: V/H/S 2 (2013)

 After finally covering the Original last week, I might as well do the Sequel.

Is this a tape you'd want to return or never bring back to Blockbuster?

In the Framing Device (aka Tape 49), a man who films people for money (like a Private Detective) is hired to find a missing man.

Him and his girlfriend go to that guy's house...and he leaves her to watch the tapes.

In 'Phase 1 Clinical Trials,' a man- Adam Wingard- is given a cybernetic eye as a Trial.

Unfortunately, this leads him to see weird things, like a bloody man and child.

In 'A Ride in the Park,' a man goes for a nice bike ride before meeting a woman in need of help.

He's bitten and transforms into something strange.

Call on the horde.

In 'Safe Haven,' a group of Investigative Journalists meet up with a man leading a strange Cult.

He agrees to let them film him and his people at the Compound, but things go horribly awry.

I'm shocked...

In 'Slumber Party Alien Abduction,' a group of kids mess with the Sister and Boyfriend (who is over while the Parents are out).

The games end when Aliens show up!

To see the Film version of this, go here.

We get the wrap-up in 'Tape 49,' but it is pretty quick.

The End.

This is a marked improvement.  It's like going from Prom Night to Hello, Mary Lou: Prom Night 2.

The Framing Device doesn't feature terrible people, take too long and not be that interesting.  Yea!

The first Tale also gets to the point quite a bit quicker as well.  The hook is nice too.

The second Tale is probably too gory for many people, but worked well overall.

'Safe Haven' is apparently the most well-liked (and well-known) part of this whole Film.

The finale Tale is a freaky one that actually makes the Grey Aliens scary for once.

Are there problems?  Sure.
The Film Segments definitely rely too much on the 'Person looks away' or 'Camera glitches up' to cover up for Effects that would be expensive to do.

The usual.

That said, I still enjoyed this one more and I could see myself revisiting this in whole, as opposed to maybe one segment or two in the last one.

Now put on a happy face!

A Film with higher highs and not as low lows as the last one.  It is still loud and random though- don't worry.

Shudder Day: Azrael (2024)

It feels weird to talk so much about a Film with no Dialog in it.

This one is bleak, high concept and very odd.

Somewhere in the Woods, a young woman- Samara Weaving- and a friend are hiding from a strange cult.

Like the men pursuing them, they have a unique scar on their necks.

Oh and nobody talks. 
Ever.

Escape doesn't go well and Samara (she doesn't speak and isn't named, so she's Samara) is put up as bait for some strange creatures.

She escapes, but for how long.

She keeps running, but things continue not to go well.

If you ever thought, 'Man, my day sucked,' watch this Film and you'll feel lots better!

What are the strange, burnt-looking creatures in the Woods?

How do they relate to the Cult?

Can they be stopped?

I'll never tell (well, not here at least).

If I do, I'll have to answer to her.

To find out, stream it now.

A Film that is hard to explain...since so little is actually explained.

Simply put, this is a Film about a Woman, a Cult, some Monsters and the impending arrival of...something.

You can infer plenty from this one, but good luck being super-clear on anything.

The Film has an odd feel with no dialog, only grunts.  I can respect the commitment.

This one will get- and has gotten- many comparisons to In A Violent Nature.  I get that.

Perhaps a more apt comparison might be the recent Silent Night- not the Santa one.

Given the strange, brutal (and brutalist) feel of this one, I don't know if I'll revisit this one many times in the future, but it was a good watch for sure.

If you're not a fan, well, I hope that we can see eye-to-eye still.

A Film in which nobody speaks, but also so much happens.  That said, I'm not clear on what exactly it was.

Should You Bother?: X-Men- Days of Future Past- The Rogue Cut

Back in 2014, I remember seeing this one in a Theater.  It was great.
It was a big, ridiculous Movie in all of the best ways.

In 2015, Fox put out a second cut which added Rogue into it (besides just her ending Cameo).
I never saw that.

Cut to 10 years after that came out and I got the Blu-Ray (and Digital) at a Goodwill.

Let's get a quick recap in there, since this is not an official Review...

In the year 2023, things are bad.  Not our kind of bad, mind you, but the World is mostly devoid of life, Mutants are in Camps and the Sentinels run everything.

A group of mutants- Storm, Wolverine, Professor X and Magneto- team up with another group- Kitty Pryde, Blink, Sunspot, Bishop, Colossus and Iceman- for a risky gambit (no pun intended).

They can send someone back in time to stop the event that led to the Sentinels being made.

That means sending Wolverine- who can survive the experience- back into his younger body.  He must get a burnt-out Xavier, Beast and Magneto to stop Mystique for accidentally setting things in motion.

Can they do it?

In a nutshell, it's a convoluted way to get the current X-Men Cast- from First Class- and the OG X-Men together in a Film.

As for this Cut...

Should You Bother?

At first, things don't feel that different.

It is a few little things, like Wolverine doing more in his 1973 Intro, a second F-Bomb being dropped and slightly different versions of other Scenes.

We also meet Quicksilver's Sister...but also hear about another Sister?

Is that Polaris?  Who knows?!?

Eventually, we get to the meat of it.

In both Cuts, Kitty is slashed inadvertently by Wolverine and hurt.

In the Theatrical Cut, she gets iced up by Bobby and soldiers on.

In this Cut, Iceman leads a mission- with Xavier and Magneto- to rescue Rogue and bring her there.

Unfortunately, that ends in Iceman's death- in footage repurposed for later in the Theatrical Cut- and the X-Mansion being destroyed.

The Rescue is crosscut with 1973 Magneto breaking into a Government Building to get his helmet.
This Film loves crosscutting.

We also get more Mystique, as she goes from the Airport to the Mansion.
She gets a nice moment with Beast, but has ulterior motives.

She breaks into the basement and destroys Cerebro.

She's thorough.

I honestly wonder why they cut this at all.

As for Rogue- who this Cut is named after- she drains Kitty and takes over.
We get a line of dialogue from 1973 Wolverine (a great car!) where he knows this...somehow.

Other than that, her role is just to be there.
That's it.

It does lead to a change- Kitty pulls Magneto into the Base, as opposed to Blink doing it in the Theatrical Cut.

Yea?

Otherwise, it is still mostly the same Movie.

Verdict: Yes

While not as notable as other Director's Cuts I've covered, this one adds many good moments.

The main selling point- Rogue is in this- doesn't amount to too much in the grand scheme of things.
I enjoyed rewatching this one for the first time in years (I must have rented it at some point between 2014 and 2024!).

Even so, I joked to myself about how long it was until Rogue was even mentioned (about 90 minutes).  The way her stuff is added was well done- it just wasn't like she suddenly got a Character Arc or anything.

The changes improve the Movie.
The changes don't drag the Pacing down.

Plus, if you get the standard release of this like I did, you have both Cuts anyhow.

Don't worry- they didn't cut the 'Time in a Bottle' Scene.

A Fun, adventurous Film that gets lots of minor, but also substantial changes.  The Film is still good though.

Tubi Thursday: V/H/S (2012)

 I've come around on the recent Films on Shudder.

How does the original stand up?
Let's find out...

In the Framing Device (or Sleeve), a bunch of a-holes who commit minor crimes and sell the footage get a job offer.

They break into some guy's house to get a tape, find a dead body and tapes start to play, filling up the sections.

In 'Amateur Night,' a trio of guys film themselves getting wasted and pick up ladies.

A strange one comes with them and it doesn't end well.

For some reason, this one got a feature Adaptation in 2016.

In 'Second Honeymoon,' a Couple goes on, well, you can guess.

They don't let a stranger get a ride, but then someone films them in their sleep.

It is a Ti West Short, so...nothing good happens.

In 'Tuesday the 17th,' a group of young people go out into the Woods on a trip.

The lead Girl is creepy and vague.

Things go poorly.

In 'The Sick Thing that Happened to Emily When She Was Younger,' a man talks to his Girlfriend over the Internet and she's hearing things.

What is the strange secret about what is going on?

Finally, in '10/31/98,' a group of guys go to a Halloween Party.

They clearly don't go to the right place.

Will they be a group of rescuers or villains?

To see how the whole thing goes, stream it now.

A good idea that is not even the best execution in this Series alone.

Simply put, this one is too long.  I think the Framing Device is fine, if a bit hectic at the beginning.
Could you have told me in 2012 that the guy who Directed this part would go on to make TWO GODZILLA FILMS?!?

The first Segment is full of terrible people, but with a good hook to it.  
I think it is worth the time, but just barely.

The second Segment was kind of disappointing.  In hindsight, it feels like a Ti West Film in tone...but I'm not a fan of this one.

The third Segment is a good one, not making you wait too long for a tease.  The payoff is nice and this would honestly be the one I'd see as a Feature.

The fourth Segment is a bit different and I like it.  I don't know how it ended up on a VHS Tape...but whatever.

The final Segment is alright, but this one doesn't exactly answer any questions.  It also has an Alternate Ending to see online.

All in all, the sum of its parts is actually worse than the Segments.  It is a decent first attempt, but the other VHS Films are better.

Well, maybe not Viral- I hear that sucks.

Now who needs a good pick-up line?

A Film that takes too long to get to the good stuff.  That said, the Premise works and we wouldn't have the Sequel without this one.

See Ya, '24: Twisters (2024)

Does this one hold up when compared to the Original?

Is it *gasp* actually better?

Let's find out....

After an experiment in College with a Storm goes wrong, we cut to 5 Years later.

Our Heroine meets up with her friend again and agrees to help him for a week with his new business that can study storms in hope of predicting them.

She meets a whole group of Tornado Chasers- since it is the Season- but one stands out.

Tyler is a Tornado Wrangler.
He's also irresistibly charming.

Don't get me wrong- I'm straight...but I have eyes, you know.

He can tell that she's a natural and decides to follow her leads.

She, of course, thinks that she can trick him.

Either way, they both win.

Truths come out.

Storms wreak havoc.

People change.

Can our Heroes use their special skills to save the day when it counts?

To find out, stream it now...

A fun Film that has surprising depth to it and is not just a rehash.

Be honest- a simple redo of Twister would have still worked for plenty of people, right?
You just hit the same beats, have bigger effects and everyone is happy.

You do get a version of both groups from the last Film here, but they are presented differently and it is not quite a 1-to-1 instance.

Is David Corenswet similar to Cary Elwes' villain?  Yes.
Is that bad?  No.

As someone who recently watch Into the Storm, I should note that a few ideas from that- like the truck you could anchor and the YouTubers chasing the storm- made their way into this Film.
Did they steal it?  Maybe not.

The only real issue I have is that there's not much of a connection to the last Film- aside from them using Dorothy IV in the Intro. 
I don't know if I wanted them to go full Ghostbusters- Afterlife on us, but something would have been nice.

Unfortunately, it seems that since they turned down a chance to have Helen Hunt make a Sequel, she wasn't involved here.

Amusingly, this Film reviving a Franchise features Bill Paxton's Son and the soon-to-be Superman.  That Film also features the son of the previous Lead- Christopher Reeve- in the Film in a small role.

Coincidence?  Yes, but still weird.

An enjoyable Sequel...that really isn't one per se.  That said, the Film is better than it has any right to be.

Shudder Day: The Primevals (1993/2023)

A Film 30 Years in the making.

Full Moon started work on this Film, ran out of money and then its Director died.

In 2023, this got an official Theatrical release before Streaming.

Out in the Wild, a Tribe must deal with a strange threat.

A Yeti/Abominable Snowman is on a rampage and they stop it...but are sad about it.

Our Hero is back at the University after his thesis about Yeti was vilified.

His just-here-to-introduce-him friend gives him his seat and he learns that a Yeti was brought back.

He's vindicated!

The lady Professor agrees to take him on an Expedition to find a living Yeti.

They are joined by the 2 remaining Locals from the Intro and a Guide (aka the Actress' Husband).

They go from a cold land to a strange, jungle land!

They uncover some strange people, creatures and secrets.

What will they learn about the Primevals and the Yeti?

Can they survive the Yeti?

What else will they find?

Was it worth finishing this one after 3 Decades?

To find out, stream it now.

A fun Film that was thankfully finished for showings, even if the Director didn't get to see it.

This Film is a testament to someone's belief in an idea/concept.  If people won't support it, convince them.  If money runs low, film as much as you can.

The Director died around a year after Filming was forced to stop.  As such, he never got to go back and 'pick up the picture' as promised.

It sure was a good thing that he didn't just stop then!

The Plot is simple, yet fun.  It definitely feels like a higher end version of something you'd watch on a Saturday afternoon.

The Stop Motion are not perfect, but they have a real charm.  Some shots are blended well, while others are not.  They give the creatures an 'animated' appearance, which you don't quite get with CGI.

If you know what to expect here- a 1993 Film and not a 2023 Film-, then you will hopefully enjoy The Primevals.  Let's celebrate those people with big brains who get this stuff done!

Ironically, the Film is a double throwback, as it is a literal one here and also designed to act like a '60s Adventure Film.  Sometimes that's all you need.