Let's get this fact out of the way first, The Last House on the Left is a remake. I know the word summons thoughts of disgust and makes you want to avoid this flick at all costs, but bare with me here this is a good movie. Remakes do not have to be bad, sometimes a good story just needs to be told better, and that's exactly what this movie delivers.

This movie is about a family that gets to avenge the horrible acts that are put upon one of its members, the idea that you could show the person that hurt the one you love the degree of pain they caused you is awesome......
Click here to read the full review.

A comedy about two guys trying to get to the playboy mansion to bone chicks? People in wheelchairs falling down stairs? Murderous fireman?

On paper Miss March looks pretty damn funny, find out if that's true -check out Adam Bloom's review.

So your one of those few people that haven't seen Watchmen yet, let me guess you never read the graphic novel either. Don't worry that's perfectly fine, though one of the all time greatest novels, it's actually relatively unknown to the general population, that's why were giving you another Watchmen review, this time from someone who never read the book. Find out if Watchmen is just a good movie in general.

Here's ETSN contributor Andrew "Dubz" K's review.
Also be sure to check out Jazz's Rorschach inspired review here.

Finally Watchmen has arrived, the day so many of you have been waiting for, we have seen Watchmen, and now it's time to share our thoughts on what may very well be the first major blockbuster of 2009.

ETSN Contributor Jazz has given us an extensive review of the flick, and to pay homage to the source material, he has done so in the spirit of Rorschach.

Click Title To Read:
Jazz journal March 7th 2009

When it comes to original ideas, Hollywood is the equivalent of GM, as if we can't tell between a Cavalier and a Sunfire. Remaking, re-imagining, or whatever you want to call it is usually looked upon with a grain of salt in the industry, because it's normally a cash grab from the studios and never lives up to the original, nor do they offer anything new. Enter Friday the 13th, an exception. 

In this 2009 remake/re-imagining, we go back to the beginning and start fresh with our beloved camp counsellor killing psychopath, Jason Vorhees. The movie opens with a quick flashback to July 13th, 1980 and shows the events that took place in the original first Friday the 13th movie, for those who are not familiar with the original, his mother is the killer and is killed by a teenager right in front of a young Jason, the mother proceeds to instruct Jason via some sort of beyond the grave voice over to avenge her death and "kill them all".
Cut to the present day and Jason has decided to make his mother proud. We get machetes to the head, bear traps, death via sleeping bag, all in the opening sequence, by the time the title appears you know that this isn't the same old Jason we remember. He's quick, agile, and to top it all off he's smart. After the lovely mother son flashback, we are shown a group apparently on a quest to find a crop of weed near crystal lake, by nightfall one of the members tells the story of Jason by the campfire, and one by one Jason picks them all off, and your thinking how can everyone die within the first 20 minutes?, just as you say that the title appears and a shiver goes down your spine, very well crafted opening sequence. 

In all honesty I enjoyed the opening bit more than the actual movie, it set a tone the rest just couldn't live up too. I've always said that a villain looses their edge when you know their motive and reasoning, and this almost fell victim to the problem I had with Rob Zombie's recent remake of Halloween, his movie made me feel sorry for Michael Myers when I should of been scared $#@^less of him. The same can be said for this new Friday, but it's not so bad, there is a nice balance between Jason the guy that misses his mom, and Jason im gonna kill anything that walks, to make it even simpler, he's the right amount of crazy.

Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes is proving to be quite the force in the horror remake department, if they can turn old ideas into fresh meat I'd be curious to see what they can do with an original script. Basically Friday is a fun movie, did it need to be made? probably not, but it's safe to say the idea is still alive and Jason is still a marketable psychopath so I'm sure the studios will kick out a sequel sooner or later, as they did with Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I can only recommend this flick to Jason fans, and anyone familiar with Platinum Dunes films, but if you cant catch it in theaters I would definitely recommend the rental.


My Score:
3.5 out of 5

POSTED BY - PATRICK TOMASSO on Feb 16 2009 @ 12:00pm