James' Movie Blog

As a kid growing up in the 1990's, I subjected myself to various books in order to keep my mind expanded. One series of books was Goosebumps by R. L. Stine; combining horror and the paranormal for young readers, this series of books made an impact on popular culture. So, when a movie based on the series was announced, I was excited to see a nostalgic memory come to life. And then I saw the film. The movie version definitely captures the spirit of the books, yet everything else seemed to be overplayed a bit. While the movie adaptation isn't terrible, it's also not good. “Goosebumps” is a fun movie for fans of the original books, but newcomers might be a little confused as to what is going on. The story has a new kid named Zach (Dylan Minnette) moving into Madison, Delaware with his mother to adapt to his new surroundings. Said surroundings include his next door neighbor, who just so happens to be R. L. Stine, author of Goosebumps (Jack Black). He also has a daught...

Whenever someone thinks of a giant movie monster, they usually go for characters like Godzilla, The Blob, or others of that nature. But we have to recognize the original giant movie monster: King Kong. Debuting in 1933's self-titled “King Kong”, this great ape may not have been a big hit at first, but became popular enough to spawn its own franchise. The question still remains: how does the original hold up after 85 years since its release? Still damn well. There have been imitators, remakes, and even a crossover with Godzilla, but nothing can still match the original Kong. “King Kong” is a marvelous spectacle that anyone who loves monsters, needs to see. The story involves filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), going on a mysterious voyage to a southeastern island that nobody knows but him. He recruits a young woman named Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), whom Carl casts as the leading lady. When they arrive at the mysterious island, Carl and the crew encounter a group of natives...