The Foxy Film Fan

Halloween (1978) In what was perhaps one of the most revolutionary acts of filmmaking in horror movie history, John Carpenter released his masterpiece Halloween  in 1978. Halloween  paved the way for the slasher genre, with beautiful and carefully arranged camera angles (that allow the film to even hold up to today's standards rather than feeling aged like so many other horror classics), an eerie soundtrack which was simple enough to become stuck in audience members heads, and a mysterious villain who can strike terror into the hearts of audience members without ever saying a word. It's, without a doubt, a landmark of cinema, and like all other classics someone set out to remake it. Rob Zombie's 2007's version of Halloween opens in a much different manner from the classic. Rather than providing the slow and eerie point of view shot of a home late one night it starts with loud rock music in the middle of the day, where we find young Michael Myers playing with a...

Would You Rather (2012) Often times the most effective method of writing a story is to keep it simple, and Would You Rather  is perhaps the most simple yet effective horror movie I have seen in quite some time. As explained from the title, Would You Rather  centers around a group of people playing the popular game, in which they are made to choose between two unpleasant and difficult decisions in a brutal and horrific competition to win the fortune that will help them out of their own individual struggles. The film balances our sympathies between its protagonist, who is struggling to raise her younger brother who is dying of cancer, and the other competitors in the game who all have their own heartache and challenges which the money would help them overcome. Of course, only one person can win the game, and as it carries on it becomes doubtful that many people will leave the home in one piece. Typically when one imagines a horror movie centered around a game which can be...

Hush (2016) The slasher subgenre of horror has been around for ages, popularized by the release of revolutionary films such as Halloween , The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , and Friday the 13th . Since the popularization of the slasher subgenre one can sometimes feel as though the same tropes have been repeated time and time again, in which the characters who engage in acts stereotyped as "bad" (smoking, drinking, foul language, sexual promiscuity) are killed off one by one while a female survivor who is depicted as morally wholesome (at least, in comparison to her friends) lives to fulfill her destiny as "the final girl." Despite the seemingly never-ending loop of this old trope it seems as though the majority of slasher films have found a way to at least make themselves moderately interesting, by carrying the same formula with new and innovative ideas. Hush is, however, the most groundbreaking and unique slasher film to come out in a very long time. Centering ...

Birdman (2014) Everyone adored Birdman  when it came out. People ranted and raved excitedly about how deep and meaningful it was, they dragged my expectations higher and higher, and then when I finally took the time to watch it I left with a sense of dread. Pardon my language, but this film was the most masturbatory piece of art I have seen in a long time, and I find myself convinced that it was mistaken for something greater by critics and fans due to the fact that it was highly stylized (through careful editing the entire film is made to appear as if it all takes place in one seamless take) and featured some decent performances given by well-liked and well-known actors who already have fan bases ready to support whatever they do, even if it's as bad as Birdman. While I'll admit there were aspects of Birdman which grabbed my attention and almost swept me up in its stylized beauty, specifically the soundtrack which consists only of drums, there's only so much a film ...

As 2016 rolls to a close it's time to review the movies which have come out this year and conclude what the top five are. Please bear in mind that I was not privileged enough to see every release of the year, so there may be some phenomenal films from 2016 which I haven't been able to see quite yet that probably belong on this last. That being said, I humbly present my five favorite films from this year. 5. Swiss Army Man Swiss Army Man  is a compelling yet strange film which is built around the concept of a man on a deserted island who befriends a strange corpse which helps him escape his isolation (both literally and psychologically). The film centers heavily around crude humor and the main premise behind its trailer alone was that of fart jokes, so I cannot recommend this film for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. However, those who are capable of enduring some humor which borders on that of a high school student's jokes will find themselves in the compan...

Man of Steel (2013) Zack Snyder, The first film I saw of yours was 300 , and I feel as though I'm stating the obvious when I say it was decent; of course it was, it was the film which launched a thousand memes, and the visual style which accompanied it was unlike anything ever attempted before. It certainly wasn't one of my favorite movies, but I enjoyed it enough to consider it warranting a second or third viewing. Next, I saw Watchmen . I now understand that my opinion is exceedingly unpopular among the majority of film and comic book fans, but I absolutely adored Watchmen . For years it was my favorite movie based off of a comic book (since then Guardians of the Galaxy  has taken that space in my heart), I adored the darkness of it, the stunning gritty visuals (back when being gritty and dark was actually an original concept and hadn't been used in absolutely every other superhero movie ever), the choice of music, and the way that it so beautifully translated a ...

"Zootopia" (2016) Disney has always been the reigning champion of animated movies. Ever since the release of Snow White  their films have captured the hearts and minds of children and adults alike. Recently, however, there had been a decline in the adoration toward their animated features; Big Hero 6 , Wreck-It Ralph , Brave , and Inside Out  have all been viewed as good releases without the sort of memorable adoration the likes of Toy Story  and Finding Nemo  achieved. Zootopia  came along to change that, utilizing the brilliance of tracing back to the history of the same animation style as classic Disney releases The Fox and the Hound  and Robin Hood  rather than opting for realism or attempting to copy the cartoonish appearance of films such as Madagascar . The return to Disney's old visual style combined with the beauty of modern animation makes for an absolutely stunning visual feast, filled with bright colors, unique and endearing characters...