Westside Messenger - October 28th, 2018

PAGE 12 - WESTSIDE MESSENGER - October 28, 2018
To commemorate the 40 years since the
horror classic “Halloween” first came to the
theaters, writers for the latest installment
in the franchise decided to go back in time
and revisit history. No longer are heroine
and villain related. No more are her children.
Ignored are attempts to put shattered
lives back together, and erased are
their on-screen deaths.
Whether you are upset by these changes
depends on how invested you are in the
mythos of “Halloween.” Personally, while I
enjoyed nearly all of the previous films I
was not angered by their decisions. This
was due in large part to the strength of the
overall product and the fact that I always
thought the siblings aspect was a little
lame.
In this film, also titled “Halloween,”
Michael Myers (Nick Castle reprising his
role with an assist from James Jude
Courtney) has been locked away in a maximum
security mental facility since his
apprehension in 1978 and under the care of
both Dr. Samuel Loomis and protégé Dr.
Ranbir Surtain (Haluk Bilginer). Since the
death of his mentor, Dr. Surtain has tried a
variety of new methods to understand the
silent killer while always holding him in
higher esteem. (Unlike Dr. Loomis, Dr.
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Surtain does not believe he is completely
evil.)
It is days away from Michael’s transfer
to a maximum security prison and Dr.
Surtain has allowed two true-crime podcasters
to meet with his star patient.
Inexplicably, one of the journalists whips
out the mask used during his killing spree
and brandishes it about like it’s a winning
lottery ticket.
Thinking their actions had no effect, the
podcasters then try to find sole survivor
Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) for their
sure-to-be-non-award-winning-story. When
they do locate her, she is still residing in
Haddonfield but has created a forest
fortress of a home. While hesitant to be
interviewed, she allows them a few minutes
of her time but swiftly kicks them out
when they bring up her failed marriages,
the forcible removal of her young daughter
from her care and her current mental state.
Meanwhile, said daughter Karen (Judy
Greer) is now a grown woman raising a
teenage daughter of her own. Though she
tries her hardest to keep grandma away,
Allyson (newcomer Andi Matichak) is far
more forgiving of Laurie’s behavior and
keeps inviting her to family events, much
to her mother’s dismay.
As the Strode family drama plays out,
the sanitarium is on high alert in preparation
of Michael’s departure. At first, it goes
www.columbusmessenger.com
In Entertainment
“Halloween” more than another slasher movie
The Reel Deal
Dedra Cordle
off without a hitch but naturally something
bad happens and his evil is once again
unleashed onto the unsuspecting masses.
There is, however, one person who has
spent the past four decades thinking and
preparing for this moment. And once again,
it is up to a traumatized but now heavily
fortified Laurie Strode to save the day.
The strength of this film does not lay on
the feet of the writing by David Gordon
Green or Danny McBride or on their decision
to alter the mythos; in fact, there is
much to be desired with the plot and dialogue.
Instead, what makes this film an
overall strong product is the presence of
the three leading women. Filling in as the
“new Laurie”, Matichak does admirably as
the skeptical but compassionate teen;
Greer is terrific as the hesitant and angry
mother and daughter, and Curtis is at the
top of her game as the tormented heroine.
This trio, which deftly showcases generational
trauma, lifts this film beyond the
traditional slasher and makes it an engaging
movie to watch despite some pacing
and plotting flaws. Grade: B-
Dedra Cordle is a Messenger staff writer
and columnist.
Retro musical at Ready
Bishop Ready High School’s Theatre Department is presenting “Grease,” the retro
musical that returns to the 1950s and the lives of Rizzo, Doody, Kenickie, Frenchy,
Sonny, and Danny Zuko (among others) as they find their way through their teen
years. Performances are Friday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m., and
Sunday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for those 65 and older, and
$8 for students. For more information, call Bishop Ready High School at 614-276-
5263. Pictured here are cast members Makenna Freeman, Daniel Hamilton,
Charles Easley, Dominic Tokar, Grace Larger and Eva Freeman.