October 16, 2012 I don't do well with scary movies, period! I don't like them, I don't want to see them, I only go for the buttered popcorn. Except, when it's near Halloween, then, it's expected. The Duluth Public Library has a series of FREE Scary Movies your family can, shall we say, "enjoy".
October 26, 2011 There are a lot of bad horror movies set in space ("Jason X", anyone?). There is one reason that so many space horror movies were made, and that reason is "Alien". Released in 1979, the movie tells the story of a commercial towing spaceship, called Nostromo. The ship is carrying its seven-member crew in back to Earth in stasis. The ship's computer awakens the crew when it receives a transmission of unknown origin. This sets off a horrifying chain of events and introduces us to a legendary monster. The great cast is lead by Sigourney Weaver and the movie does a great job building suspense. This is truly a classic that you should revisit. It's also a good idea to check out the sequel "Aliens", which was directed by James Cameron.
October 25, 2011 The most imaginative movie on my list is "Pan's Labyrinth", which is a times an amazing movie and at times a very brutal one. It takes place during the waning days of the Spanish Civil War, and the war aspects of the film are as tough as any war movie. Then there's the central figure and story, a beautiful young girl who uses her imagination to escape the horrors of her life. The images this conjures up are very memorable. But is it all just her imagination or is it something more? "Pan's Labyrinth" is definitely worth your time.
October 5, 2011 This movie recommendation to get you in the mood for Halloween is a movie my dad brought me to when I was probably too young to see it and I thought it was fantastic then. It's 'An American Werewolf In London'. I recently watched it again and despite some special effects that look a little dated (although at least they aren't CGI!) it holds up pretty well. The movie stars David Naughton, who at the time was best known for doing Dr. Pepper commercials, and Griffin Dunne. They are friends traveling through London when they end up in a place they were warned to avoid and then all the trouble begins. An interesting thing about this movie is it was written and directed by John Landis, who at the time was best know for comedies like 'Animal House' and 'The Blues Brothers''. Michael Jackson liked the effects in this movie so much he hired Landis to direct his full length video for 'Thriller'. Enjoy and remember not to confuse this movie with the piece of crap 'American Werewolf In Paris' which was released years later.
