Review: "FRIDAY THE 13TH: The Final Chapter" Now Seems Quaint

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 56 of 2024 (No. 2000) by Leroy Douresseaux

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Running time:  91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)

MPAA – R

DIRECTOR:  Joseph Zito

WRITERS:  Barney Cohen; from a story by Bruce Hidemi Sakow (based on characters created by Victor Miller and Ron Kurz & Martin Kitrosser and Carol Watson)

PRODUCER: Frank Mancuso, Jr.

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  João Fernandez (D.o.P.)

EDITORS:  Joel Goodman with Daniel Loewenthal

COMPOSER:  Harry Manfredini

HORROR

Starring:  Erich Anderson, Judie Aronson, Peter Barton, Kimberly Beck, Corey Feldman, Joan Freeman, Crispin Glover, Lawrence Monoson, Alan Hayes, Barbara Howard, Camilla More, Carey More, Bruce Mahler, Lisa Freeman, Bonnie Hellman and Frankie Hill with Ted White

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is a 1984 slasher horror film directed by Joseph Zito.  It is a direct sequel to the 1982 film, Friday the 13th Part III, and is the fourth movie in the Friday the 13th movie franchise.  The Final Chapter finds Jason Voorhees revived after being declared dead and then, returning to Crystal Lake where he stalks a group of friends renting a nearby house.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter opens in the aftermath of the massacre at “Higgins Haven,” the old home near Crystal Lake (as seen in Friday the 13th Part III).  The police clean up the scene, picking up the bodies of ten victims.  They were all killed by Jason Voorhees (Ted White), the killer of Crystal Lake.  This time, however, Jason has also been pronounced dead, and his body is picked up and sent to the Wessex County Medical Center Morgue (apparently somewhere in southern New Jersey).  Somehow, Jason spontaneously revives and kills a morgue attendant and a nurse on his way out the door and back to Crystal Lake.

Meanwhile, a group of six teenage friends:  Paul (Alan Hayes), Sam (Judie Aronson), Doug (Peter Barton), Sara (Barbara Howard), Ted (Lawrence Monoson), and Jimmy (Crispin Glover), have arrived at the house in the countryside near Crystal Lake that they are renting.  Right across from that house is another home where Mrs. Jarvis (Joan Freeman) lives with her two children:  her teen teenage daughter, Trish Jarvis (Kimberly Beck) and her twelve-year-old son, Tommy (Corey Feldman), along with their dog, Gordon.  The visiting group of teens also meets and befriends a pair of twin sisters, Tina (Camilla More) and Terri (Carey More).

Later, Trish and Tommy meet Rob Dier (Erich Anderson), a strapping young man who claims that he is visiting the area to hunt bear, but who is really hunting Jason for killing his sister, Sandra Dier.  What they don't know is that Jason is already hunting them all.

[NOTE: Rob's sister, Sandra, and her boyfriend, Jeff, were killed together by Jason in  Friday the 13th Part II.]

The first few minutes of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter are a sequence of highlights from the first three films:  Friday the 13th (1980), Friday the 13th Part II (1981), and Friday the 13th Part III.  The third film was originally going to be the end of the series, just as this fourth film was going to conclude the series, so the beginning of this fourth film summarizes for the audience what has been going on at and around Crystal Lake.  Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter was the first film in the series that I saw, and is one of only two in the series that I have actually watched in a movie theater (the other being 1989's Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan).

So forty years later, what do I think of Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter?  I remember that I kinda liked it the first time I saw it, although I was shocked by the number of people Jason killed – thirteen by my count, although fourteen is possible.  Originally, I was surprised by how fast the narrative had Jason dispatching his victims, and forty years later, I still think that.

Like the third film, I think The Final Chapter actually presents several good characters.  In fact, the six teens, the Jarvis family members, and Rob Dier all have personalities and potential that would make for decent character drama or melodrama, as it may be.  In the end, however, they are merely meat for this franchise's beast, Jason Voorhees.  Also, I think Corey Feldman's Tommy is the only character that really gets a chance at a showcase of character and emotion.

In the final analysis, The Final Chapter is better than most of the films in the series that followed it, but it isn't as good or as classic as the films that preceded.  If you want to know which is my favorite, dear readers, it is the second film, although I think the original is still the series' best film.  Still, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is a nice way to make a tetralogy out of a trilogy.

5 of 10

B-

★★½ out of 4 stars

Thursday, December 12, 2024

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Review: Original Teenage Mutanta Ninja Turtles Film is Still Fun

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 7 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Running time:  93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR:  Steve Barron
WRITERS:  Todd W. Langen and  Bobby Herbeck; from a story by Bobby Herbeck (based on characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird)
PRODUCERS:  David Chan, Kim Dawson, and Simon Fields
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  John Fenner (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  William D. Gordean, Sally Menke, and James R. Symons
COMPOSER:  John Du Prez

MARTIAL ARTS/FANTASY/ACTION/COMEDY

Starring:  Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, Jay Patterson, Michael Turney, Raymond Serra, Sam Rockwell, James Saito, Toshishiro Obata, David Forman, Leif Tilden, Michelan Sisti, and the voices of Corey Feldman, Josh Pais, Brian Tochi, Robbie Rist, David McCharen, Michael McConnohie, and Kevin Clash

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1990 martial arts fantasy and action-comedy film from director Steve Barron.  The film is based on the media franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (also known as the “Ninja Turtles” or by the abbreviation, “TMNT”), which began with a black and white comic book created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird and first published in 1984.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the film focuses on a quartet of anthropomorphic ninja turtles and a TV news reporter, as they battle a ninja criminal gang.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles opens in New York City (late 80s or early 90s).  The city is in the midst of a crime wave of pick-pockets, burglaries, and general thievery.  Rumors abound that the thieves are mostly young children and teenagers, perhaps connected to something called the “Foot Clan,” which apparently originated in Japan.  This is according to April O'Neil (Judith Hoag), a television news reporter at station WTRL – Channel 3.

In fact, O'Neil comes across some of these very same thieves ransacking a news van, and they promptly attack her.  A mysterious band of warrior rescues April, introducing her to a world under the streets and in the sewers of the city.  April's rescuers are four anthropomorphic turtles; these mutated, man-turtles walk and talk, and, like other teenagers, they love pizza.  They are also ninja warriors, according to their mentor and surrogate father, Splinter (Kevin Clash), a mutated, anthropomorphic rat who is also a master of the ninja arts.

Now, April and these four teenaged mutant ninja turtles:  Raphael (Josh Pais), Michelangelo (Robbie Rist), Donatello (Corey Feldman) and Leonardo (Brian Tochi) unite to unravel the secrets of the city's crime wave.  Street vigilante, Casey Jones (Elias Koteas), joins them, but will all of them be enough to stop The Foot and its leader, The Shredder.

1990s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the first movie in a franchise that would yield a total of three films.  Years later, Warner Bros. Pictures would release a computer-animated TMNT film, also entitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2007), which I still have not seen.  In fact, I had not seen a TMNT movie since the second film, which was released in 1991.

With the release of Paramount Picture's reboot of the franchise, also entitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, earlier this past summer (2014), I decided to revisit the 1990 film.  I vaguely remember liking it then.  I was surprised to find that I actually liked it after recently watching it again.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990 is quaint, but irresistibly cute and likeable.  Everything about is 1980s cheesy:  the sets, the clothes, the music, the attitude, and the Turtles' dialogue.  It's as if every teen movie, good or bad, was strained of its slang and lingo to create the dialogue for these teenage mutant ninja turtles.  The entire movie also looks like it was shot in the ghostly, abandoned sets of 1980s break-dancing movies.

Still, if you like the Ninja Turtles, it is hard not to like this movie.  Back in 1990, I did like the Ninja Turtles, so I liked their hit movie debut.  A quarter-century later, I find that I still like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990.  I might even find myself watching it again.

5 of 10
B-

Tuesday, December 30, 2014


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Review: Disney's "The Fox and the Hound" is Still a Joy to Watch

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 79 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Running time: 83 minutes (1 hour, 23 minutes)
MPAA – G
DIRECTOR: Ted Berman, Richard Rich, and Art Stevens
PRODUCERS: Ron Miller (executive producer), Wolfgang Reitherman (co-producer), and Art Stevens (co-producer)
WRITERS: (story) Larry Clemmons, Ted Berman, David Michener, Peter Young, Burny Mattinson, Steve Hulett, Earl Kress, and Vance Gerry (based upon the book by Daniel P. Mannix)
EDITORS: Jim Koford and James Melton
COMPOSER: Buddy Baker

ANIMATION/FANTASY/DRAMA/FAMILY with elements of action and comedy

Starring: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russell, Pearl Bailey, Jack Albertson, Sandy Duncan, Jeanette Nolan, Pat Buttram, Richard Bakalyan, Paul Winchell, Keith Coogan, Corey Feldman, John Fiedler, and John McIntire

This year is the 30th anniversary of the original release of the Walt Disney animated feature film, The Fox and the Hound (specifically July 10, 1981). It was re-released in 1988, which is when I first saw the film, when my late sister and I took our first cousin (then about five-years-old) to see the movie.

I liked the film when I first saw it, and Walt Disney Home Entertainment’s recent release of an anniversary Blu-ray and DVD of the film gave me a chance to see it again. I still like, and though it may not be as good as such films as Bambi or Beauty and the Beast, The Fox and the Hound is a visually beautiful film full of gorgeous colors. It is a personal favorite of mine because it recalls fond memories of days gone by.

The Fox and the Hound is based upon the Daniel P. Mannix novel of the same title, but the film removes the element of death that is apparently a big part of the novel (which I’ve never read). The film tells the story of two unlikely friends, a red fox named Tod and a hound dog named Copper. The film begins with a young red fox being orphaned by its mother. Big Mama (Pearl Bailey), an owl, sets it up so that the fox is adopted by Widow Tweed (Jeanette Nolan), who names the fox, Tod (Keith Coogan).

Meanwhile, her neighbor, Amos Slade (Jack Albertson), brings home a young coonhound puppy that he names Copper (Corey Feldman), and introduces to his old hunting dog, Chief (Pat Buttram). Tod and Copper become friends, but that angers Chief and Slade, who hunts animals, including foxes, for their pelts. Tod and Copper remain friends, but their natural instincts begin to drive them apart. When they reach adulthood, Tod (Mickey Rooney) and Copper (Kurt Russell) must confront the reality of their situation – that they are natural enemies.

The Fox and the Hound, Walt Disney’s 24th full-length animated feature film, is considered average by some. The story isn’t as complex as some Disney films, and the songs are indeed mostly average. However, the film is a parable about how society demands that individual accept predetermined roles even in spite of an individual’s better impulses to do something different, so I give this movie credit for that. Its themes of prejudice and friendship outside of social circles make it memorable, and those themes resonate with audiences, both young and old. The film deals with prejudice in an intelligent way, particularly because Tod is actually the lead character. Thus, the audience sees prejudice and persecution directly through the eyes of the fox, who is basically the inferior.

The film is also very well animated. The character animation is quite good, particularly in the facial expressions, depictions of emotions, and general movement of the animals. Glen Keane, then part of a young generation of Disney animators, does stellar work in supervising the animation in the scene of the fight between Copper, Tod, and the bear. This is one of the great animated sequences in the history of Disney films.

Pearl Bailey also delivers the film’s best voice performance as Big Mama, although Mickey Rooney is quite good as the adult Tod. The Fox and the House may not be considered one of Walt Disney’s best, but with its vivid colors, lush forest and outdoor backdrops, and dynamic character animation, it represents what Walt Disney Animation Studio does best – create the illusion of life.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

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Review: "The Lost Boys" is Eternally Youthful and Forever a Winner

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 142 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Lost Boys (1987)
Opening date: July 31, 1987
Running time: 97 minutes
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR: Joel Schumacher
WRITERS: Janice Fischer & James Jeremias and Jeffrey Boam, story by Janice Fischer & James Jeremias
PRODUCER: Harvey Bernhard
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Michael Chapman
EDITOR: Robert Brown

HORROR/COMEDY

Starring: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Edward Herrmann, Bernard Hughes, Kiefer Sutherland, and Dianne Wiest, Jamison Newlander, Brooke McCarter, Billy Wirth, Alex (Alexander) Winter, and Chance Michael Corbitt

“Sleep all day. Party all night. It’s fun to be a vampire.” was the tagline to The Lost Boys, a Joel Schumacher film that heavily re-imagines J.M. Barrie’s classic play and novel, Peter Pan. The film was a minor hit back when it was released in 1987, but the film has become even more popular (even a kind of cult hit) through its release on home video and later DVD, and its numerous appearances on various cable TV channels. The Lost Boys also cleverly tweaks and twists some classic vampire myths, folklore, and legends – including some that were invented by Hollywood.

Financial troubles force recent divorcee Lucy Emerson (Dianne Wiest) and her two teenage sons, Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam Emerson (Corey Haim), to move to Santa Carla, CA (actually filmed in Santa Cruz, CA) to live with her father (Bernard Hughes). At first, her younger son, Sam laughs off the rumors of vampires in Santa Carla that he hears from the two brothers, Edgar (Corey Feldman) and Alan Frog, (Jamison Newlander) who run their parents comic book shop on the Santa Carla Boardwalk. However, when Michael starts acting strange (stays out all night, sleeps all day, and tries to attack Sam) and showing classic signs of vampirism, Sam joins forces with the Frog Brothers to find and destroy the head vampire, which she free Michael of the vampire’s curse. Meanwhile, Michael has fallen for a half-vampire teenager named Star (Jami Gertz) and promises to help her and half-vampire boy, Laddie Thompson (Chance Michael Corbitt), for whom she cares. He’s also fallen in with a quartet of brash, teen vampires led by the charismatic David (Kiefer Sutherland).

I’ve seen The Lost Boys so many times, and I’m such a big fan that I don’t know if I can fairly review it for a viewer who hasn’t seen it. Heck, I’d recommend it to anybody. What do I like about it? Hmmm, where to start? It’s a fun, comic horror film, and puts a hip, cool spin on vampires – as they relate to Hollywood productions. It was not quite an MTV-type movie, but it did tap into the early to mid-80’s youth, cultural zeitgeist, if only to get some nice establishing shots of Santa Carla’s youth. Tapping into the style of young people in the mid-80’s also resulted in some flashy costumes of The Lost Boys’ teen characters. Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, and Jamison Newlander looked as if they’d step off the set of a Lionel Richie video (for either of the songs “All Night Long” or “Dancing on the Ceiling”). Jami Gertz and the Lost Boys (even the little half-vampire boy, Laddie) have mounds of big hair to go with the puffy shirts, faux Pirates of Penzance costumes, and Amadeus-vomit-leather ensembles. Somehow, it all looks and feels right – especially the handsome and alluring Kiefer Sutherland who plays a kind of teen rebel/pied piper vampire. He’s the real Peter Pan in this Lost Boys set.

As far as the filmmaking goes: Thomas Newman’s score is a smooth, crisp, and tight suite of music to suggest creepiness. The rewrites that director Joel Schumacher demanded of the original script (and likely done by Jeffrey Boam) turned the story into a tight little thriller with a slight fairy tale feel to it. Once upon a time, two boys and their mother moved to a town of vampires… and everybody was hip, cool, and now.

8 of 10
A

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