90s Movie Review - Happy Gilmore

Director: Dennis Dugan
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 1996
Starring: Adam Sandler, Carl Weathers, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Kevin Nealon, Allan Covert

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 13: A FILM FROM THE 1990S
 
Description: After his grandmother’s house is repossesses by the IRS, bad tempered hockey player Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) takes his talents to golf to earn the big bucks and get his grandmother’s house back.

Review: Adam Sandler can always pleasantly surprise you. He is not considered one of the best actors out there, but her has proven his acting cops several times. I have to say that “Happy Gilmore” is not one of those films, but it is one of the funniest Sandler films I have ever seen.

Sandler plays hockey player Happy Gilmore, who tries his luck at golf after his grandmother’s house has been repossessed by the IRS. He wants to make easy money. “Happy Gilmore” has a high entertainment value and is absolute worth watching. I love Adam Sandler’s hot tempered character, I somehow always find it funny when he start yelling.

I can honestly say that “Happy Gilmore” is a real good time and a good comedy.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - Totally Killer

Director: Nahnatchka Khan
Genre: Comedy/ Horror
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Charlie Gillespie, Lochlyn Munro, Troy Leigh-Ann Johnson, Liana Liberato, Julie Bowen, Randall Park, Jonathan Potts  
 
Description: When the infamous “Sweet Sixteen Killer” returns 35 years after his first murder spree to claim another victim, 17-year-old Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) accidentally travels back in time to 1987, determined to stop the killer before he can start.

Review: In a small American town, three teenage girls were murdered. Now, thirty-five years later, the killer suddenly turns up to kill Jamie’s mother. Jamie’s friend has just build a time machine, allowing her to travel back to the day the first girl was murdered in 1987.

“Totally Killer” is not a parody of old slasher films, but it is self-aware. I really liked the time-travel element in this film. Although this can be tricky, with logics and plot holes and such, “Totally Killer” does a pretty good job to keep it simple and not make you to worried about those logics.

The film combines horror with comedy, but it’s a but out of balance. It’s more a comedy.

I had a really good time watching “Totally Killer”. Loved the 80s vibes, the time travel element in the slasher genre and I really liked the main character Jamie. Fun times.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - Hubie Halloween

Director: Steve Brill
Genre: Comedy/ Horror
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Kevin James, Rob Scheider, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, June Squibb, Noah Schnapp, Maya Rudolph, Tim Meadows, Michael Chiklis, Kenan Thompson, Shaquille O’Neill, Ben Stiller, Jackie Sandler, Sadie Sandler, Sunny Sandler

Description: Despite his devotion to his hometown of Salem, Hubie Dubois (Adam Sandler) is a figure of mockery for kids and adults alike. But this year, something is going bump in the night, and it’s up to Hubie to save Halloween.  

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 43: A HORROR COMEDY

Review: Adam Sandler joked that if he didn’t get an Oscar for “Uncut Gems” he would intentionally make a bad comedy. He kept his word, because here is “Hubie Halloween”.
Every now and then Adam Sandler makes a serious movie and shows everyone what a good actor he can be. With movies like “Punch-Drunk Love”, “Funny People” and “The Meyerowitz Stories” he won the hearts of the critics. With “Uncut Gems”, which is probably his best performance and movie to date, he even had a chance to win an Oscar. On Howard Stern’s radio show, Sandler joked that he would take revenge with a really bad movie, if he didn’t win. Sandler never even got a nomination, which is a damn shame. So out of ‘vengeance’, he made “Hubie Halloween”.
It is a typical Adam Sandler comedy. Weird mouth, funny voice, poop jokes and all of his actor friends.
In terms of story, “Hubie Halloween” isn’t much either. Sandler plays adult child Hubie Dubois, the village idiot. He is seen as annoying and a loser and hated by the entire town, when he is actually one of the nicest people out there. Hubie doesn’t care about what others think and always wants to help people. And with his favorite holiday Halloween coming up, he’s got his eyes open. Because things will get freaky this year, but no one believes Hubie.
An old acquaintance of Hubie has escaped from the madhouse, his new neighbor has a dark secret and several residents of Salem are kidnapped. Hubie alerts the police, but no one takes him seriously. So Hubie has to solve it himself.
“Hubie Halloween” is a wink to some of Sandler’s other movies. Ben Stiller is in the opening scene, as the mean nurse from “Happy Gilmore” and his former co-star Julie Bowen from that same movie is also in it. There is a reference to Canteen Boy, a character he played on “Saturday Night Live”, and the film is filled with many of Sandler’s friends: Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, Kevin James. Even his wife and kids have roles.
Don’t take it all to seriously, then “Hubie Halloween” might be more enjoyable. It has some funny details, like the running gag of Hubie’s mother’s obscene shirts and women dressing up as Harley Quinn. But apart from that, the humor never exceeds the level of a screaming Adam Sandler.
It's not one of his worst movies, but Adam Sandler sure as hell made a lot better comedies. “Hubie Halloween” just feels effortless. I think, with a better script and jokes it could have been a lot funnier.

Rating: 2 / 5

Top 5 Thursday: Female TV Characters of the Moment

I like a strong leading character in a TV show, but mostly it’s the guys. Really? I found some great women who shine between all those guys. These are the female characters I love the most at the moment.

5. Deb Morgan in “Dexter”
I started to follow this show recently, but I still need to rewatch the entire series sometime. Deb is great, although she has some issues.

4. Tara Knowles in “Sons of Anarchy”
Tara really transformed in this show. She is really part of the club now and sometimes she even handles things the Gemma-way.

3. Maggie Greene in “The Walking Dead”
I liked her from the beginning. She lost a lot of her loved ones, but she learned how to deal with it and how to kick ass!

2. Morgan Brody in “CSI”
Morgan had a guest appearance once and when I heard she was getting a regular role I was excited. I like her, she is a great addition to the team and she’s very smart.

1. Claire Dunphy in “Modern Family”
I don’t like to admit it, but sometimes I’m a little bit like Claire. Maybe that’s why I love her so much. Claire is a hands-on mom and she likes to have control. And although Phil is a bit of a cluts, she loves him unconditionally.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Gloria Pritchett in “Modern Family”, Julie Finlay in “CSI”, Meredith Grey in “Grey’s Anatomy”

Top 5 Thursday: Funny Ladies

Today in my Top 5, I will share with you who are in my opinion the funniest women in showbusiness.

5. Ellen Degeneres
Ellen did the voice of Dory, the forgetful blue fish in “Finding Nemo”. Although she was great in this animation, I prefer her as a host and stand-up comedian. She cracks me up everytime.

4. Julie Bowen
I didn’t know her before “Modern Family” but she won over my heart as the loveable Claire Dunphy. I later realized that Julie was also in “Lost”, but she couldn’t really be funny in that show.

3. Christina Applegate
She got famous because of her role in “Married… with Children” as the beautiful but not-so-bright Kelly Bundy. Later on she appeared in several films, like “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead”, “The Big Hit” and “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”. And she made the crappy movie “The Sweetest Thing” worth watching because she was the only funny aspect in that film. In “Samantha Who” she again proved us why she’s so funny.

2. Leslie Mann
She’s in so many movies and I always like her characters. She stole the show in “The 40 Year Old Virgin” where she appeared in one scene as a drunk woman Steve Carrel’s character picked up. And what about her performances in “Big Daddy”, “Knocked Up” and “Funny People”. This woman deserves more credit.

1. Kristen Wiig
Without a doubt the funniest woman I’ve ever seen on TV. She rocks in every “SNL” sketch she’s in. Especially as the woman of the two A-holes, Ginny, Penelope and one of the sisters from the Finger Lakes. I loved her in “Adventureland” and “Whip It”. I’m a bit ashamed that I haven’t seen “Bridesmaids”, but nobody wanted to go see it with me.

They almost made the top 5: Amy Poehler, Jenna Fisher, Queen Latifah and Jennifer Aniston