Happy Halloween

Some quick hits of movies I caught on TV during the pre-Halloween run-up:

"Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" - [rant on]I swear on all that is holy that if I ever become a director I will never name any movie I make "Mulliga's "[rant off]. A bittersweet fable, fairly predictable in terms of plot. The voice-actors (Depp, Watson, and Bonham Carter) do some fine work here, and the wizardry of the stop-motion animators is pretty much tops in the business (this movie got beaten by Wallace and Gromit for the Oscar, but in terms of pure technical achievement, it's quite a feat - one of the main characters has a flowing veil and dress, for crying out loud!). (7/10, or 8/10 if you're an animation freak)

"Jeepers Creepers" - Justin Long is badly miscast as the erstwhile protagonist facing off against a bogeyman with his sister in this forgettable horror movie. Has some nice moments, but more holes than a cheese grater. The final reveals of the monster commit the worst horror movie sin of all - they just aren't scary, shocking, or gross enough to be remembered. (6/10)

"Friday the 13th" - This has gotta be the lamest excuse for a slasher movie ever. Where "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Halloween" both had good movies to start off with, the first "Friday the 13th" is even worse than you remember. While there is some sex and violence, the fact is that this movie boils down to a teenage girl fighting a middle-aged woman. And when the woman is down, the girl doesn't finish her off! This happens twice. Look Alice, if you've just knocked a psychopathic serial killer to the ground, go ahead and kick her in the ribs or something. (5/10)