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Late to the Party: ‘Dog Soldiers’ (2002)

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Dog Soldiers is a creature feature by writer/director Neil Marshall (The Descent, Game of Thrones), and it’s often been described as Predator with werewolves…You have my attention. It’s time for another edition of Late to the Party!

The story follows a British military squad sent to the Scottish Highland wilderness on a routine training exercise. Things start to get “hairy” when a bloodthirsty pack of vicious werewolves attack them. Will they be able to survive the night?

If I didn’t know Dog Soldiers was made in 2002, I’d swear it had to be a late 80’s early 90’s movie. The machismo dialogue, the film grain, and the satisfying practical effects all hearken back to the action/horror films of yesteryear. The movie’s costume design, action-packed stunts, and entertaining premise will warm the dead hearts of nostalgic horror fans.

The main characters are your motley crew military type. We have the no-nonsense sarge, the cocky, sarcastic teammates, and, of course, the rugged, fearless hero. They aren’t as memorable as the Colonial Marines from Aliens, but they get the job done. The squad’s leader Sgt. Wells (Sean Pertwee) steals most of the scenes he’s in, even from our main protagonist Pvt. Cooper (Kevin McKidd).

Pacing does suffer slightly with the film’s generous hour and forty-five minute runtime, which sags a bit in the middle. Knowing it’s a werewolf film going in, the first act buildup doesn’t have the element of surprise and mystery afforded to similar creature features with slower monster reveals. That said, you won’t be any less excited to see all hell break loose.

There are some smart creative decisions that add to the novelty of the film. The black and white “night vision” POV from the werewolves hunting their prey is satisfying, and Marshall wisely opted to primarily utilize practical effects for the werewolves and the stunts. This lends itself to the retro aesthetic, and keeps CGI from pulling the audience out of the experience. And it wouldn’t feel like a good, old-fashioned monster flick without a bit of fog added for a little atmosphere.

There’s a bit of distracting handheld camerawork early in the film, as the camera frantically drifts all over the place during extreme close-ups of characters faces during their introductions. Thankfully, this improves as the film continues.

Geography is a slight issue during the action sequences, especially in the second half of the film when they barricade themselves in the house. It’s sometimes a bit difficult to discern who is where during chaotic moments. Some of the characters also look alike in their military uniforms, which doesn’t help matters.

Dog Soldiers is at its best when it goes wild with the campiness. Early in the film, Sgt. Wells is desperately trying to keep his guts from falling out of his slashed abdomen. There’s a later scene where a dog starts tearing at his bloody stomach bandages, while the rest of the team are fighting off a werewolf attack. The dog initially appeared to be pulling at his intestines (which would have been even better). I found myself craving more hilariously off-the-wall moments like this.

Where Predator transcends the genre as a B-movie elevated by A-movie execution, Dog Soldiers is a B-movie with B-movie execution. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, the film also doesn’t push the crazy antics far enough to reach the heights of classic B-movie horror status like The Evil Dead trilogy either. It’s simply a fun action/horror romp that is definitely worth a night of howling at the moon.

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The Original ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Had an Interesting Location

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beetlejuice in Hawaii Movie

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s sequels to hit movies weren’t as linear as they are today. It was more like “let’s re-do the situation but in a different location.” Remember Speed 2, or National Lampoon’s European Vacation? Even Aliens, as good as it is, follows a lot of the plot points of the original; people stuck on a ship, an android, a little girl in peril instead of a cat. So it makes sense that one of the most popular supernatural comedies of all time, Beetlejuice would follow the same pattern.

In 1991 Tim Burton was interested in doing a sequel to his 1988 original, it was called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian:

“The Deetz family moves to Hawaii to develop a resort. Construction begins, and it’s quickly discovered that the hotel will be sitting on top of an ancient burial ground. Beetlejuice comes in to save the day.”

Burton liked the script but wanted some re-writes so he asked then-hot screenwriter Daniel Waters who had just got done contributing to Heathers. He passed on the opportunity so producer David Geffen offered it to Troop Beverly Hills scribe Pamela Norris to no avail.

Eventually, Warner Bros. asked Kevin Smith to punch up Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, he scoffed at the idea, saying, “Didn’t we say all we needed to say in the first Beetlejuice? Must we go tropical?”

Nine years later the sequel was killed. The studio said Winona Ryder was now too old for the part and an entire re-cast needed to happen. But Burton never gave up, there were a lot of directions he wanted to take his characters, including a Disney crossover.

“We talked about lots of different things,” the director said in Entertainment Weekly. “That was early on when we were going, Beetlejuice and the Haunted MansionBeetlejuice Goes West, whatever. Lots of things came up.”

Fast-forward to 2011 when another script was pitched for a sequel. This time the writer of Burton’s Dark Shadows,  Seth Grahame-Smith was hired and he wanted to make sure the story wasn’t a cash-grabbing remake or reboot. Four years later, in 2015, a script was approved with both Ryder and Keaton saying they would return to their respective roles. In 2017 that script was revamped and then eventually shelved in 2019.

During the time the sequel script was being tossed around in Hollywood, in 2016 an artist named Alex Murillo posted what looked like one-sheets for a Beetlejuice sequel. Although they were fabricated and had no affiliation with Warner Bros. people thought they were real.

Perhaps the virality of the artwork sparked interest in a Beetlejuice sequel once again, and finally, it was confirmed in 2022 Beetlejuice 2 had a green light from a script written by Wednesday writers  Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The star of that series Jenna Ortega signed on to the new movie with filming starting in 2023. It was also confirmed that Danny Elfman would return to do the score.

Burton and Keaton agreed that the new film titled Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice wouldn’t rely on CGI or other other forms of technology. They wanted the film to feel “handmade.” The film wrapped in November 2023.

It’s been over three decades to come up with a sequel to Beetlejuice. Hopefully, since they said aloha to Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian there has been enough time and creativity to ensure Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will not only honor the characters, but fans of the original.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will open theatrically on September 6.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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