Tag: Child's Play 2

Series Review: Chucky Season 1 (Syfy/USA Network)

By: Jesse Striewski

Everyone’s favorite evil doll Chucky is back in this sequel series that takes place right after the last film, Cult of Chucky. I was initially looking forward to what Don Mancini and co. might be able to bring to the table here, but quickly realized it’d probably be best to just revisit the old films again instead.

Things start off innocently enough; when New Jersey teen Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur) finds an old Chucky doll at a yard sale and brings it home, he soon discovers who Chucky really is when his father (Devon Sawa) is killed by the hands of the doll. Jake is then sent to live with his aunt and uncle and their spoiled son, and more carnage is predictably unleashed. Only Jake and a couple of school friends know the truth about the killer doll, and must stop him at all costs.

Fans of the original series might enjoy some aspects of Chucky, such as the return of alumni Jennifer Tilly, Alex Vincent, and Christine Elise, not to mention of course Brad Dourif returning to voice Chucky, and his daughter Fiona adds some much-needed sex appeal by not only reprising her role from Cult.., but even assuming a younger version of her father’s human character in flashbacks from the ’80s (which is both interesting and weird, considering Brad still does the voice in these sequences). For the first time ever, audiences are even given a glimpse at Chucky as a child, too.

But whatever hope of things playing out as another Stranger Things-type show with the teen kids at the forefront as heroes is diminished fairly early on, and bogged down by sub-par acting, crass characters, and an urgent need to make the series unnecessarily humorous and “woke.” The dialogue and special effects are often laughable, and there’s very little time dedicated to actual suspense, just a fast-paced agenda bent on packing in as many sloppy kills as possible.

If not for the previously mentioned flashbacks into the character’s origins, this show would be almost completely unwatchable. Chucky may be back, but the franchise is still suffering from a muddled execution as usual.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Film Review: Willy’s Wonderland (Saturn Films/Landmark Studio Group/Landafar Entertainment/JD Entertainment)

By: Jesse Striewski

This Nicolas Cage-driven horror/comedy hybrid romp, directed by Kevin Lewis, ranges from being part harmless homage to such goofy ’80s guilty pleasures as Killer Klowns From Outer Space, to part demented (and ridiculous) Toy Story-induced nightmare.

Cage stars as a silent drifter (literally – he utters zero dialogue throughout the entire film) who gets roped into a diabolical scam by small town locals when his vehicle is abruptly disabled while passing through the middle of nowhere. He ends up in an old, rundown, Chuck E. Cheese-type joint called Willy’s Wonderland (suspiciously similar to Five Nights at Freddy’s, too), where he must fight for his life against maniacal machines that come to life. Lucky for him, there’s also a group of local teens (lead by talented newcomer Emily Tosta) who know the real secrets of Willy‘s, and are hell-bent on taking it down once and for all. This of course leads to some very surreal, A Nightmare on Elm Street-esque moments that range from legitimately creepy, to over-the-top, cringe-worthy deaths.

Character actress Beth Grant (who you may recognize from such films as Rain Man or Child’s Play 2) pulls a worthy performance as the town sheriff, and Killer Klowns… alumni Grant Cramer even makes a brief cameo. And even the soundtrack features some impressive work by Emoi (watch for the mesmerizing scene where the film’s theme song is played during an epic battle between Cage and a pinball machine).

But for every time I found myself getting completely lost in the film, something overly juvenile or absurd would usually come along and instantly snap me back into reality. I really wanted to like the film, and for the most part I suppose I did. But perhaps just a little more effort in the dialogue and acting departments would have put it that much more over the edge. If you’re simply looking for mindless entertainment though, then Willy’s Wonderland is hands down the place to go.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars