Last night/this morning in CANADA they saw... SCREAM 2. Here are two opinions, one positive, one negative. They both contain spoilers, but they do NOT contain the killer's identity. The second spy did include it, but I felt that would be W-R-O-N-G to spoil it for everyone. But at the same time I had to go with both sides of the coin. SPOOKY the mulderistic spy seeking the truth out there, found some in his review of Scream 2. Enjoy...
Just got back from a 12:00-2:00 a.m. screening (or is that 'screaming'?) of "Scream 2" here in Edmonton, Alberta. The screening was at the University here so there was a packed house full of rowdy fans.
I'll be honest, though I'm a huge film buff, I never saw the first Scream. I knew a little about it and I thought I might be out of the loop for this one. I've been to countless previews so I wasn't going to pass this one up. I was pleasantly surprised.
This is a very post-modern film. Though I found a small amount of the violence a little over the top and it was very predictable, there was some pretty classic moments. The film class scene, the Star Wars moment, and the film guy on the cell phone scene stand out in my mind as the best parts of the film. The theatre audience shots are also post-modern classics as they are both humorous and ironic, and like the entire film, portray an excellent example of our 'media' society. I also found it bit cheesy in parts, but I know that's what Wes intended and it doesn't hurt this film one bit.
I find myself rarely getting scared by films anymore because I usually know how a shot is executed and when music cues to the action., but I like to watch the audience to see their reaction, and boy did they ever jump and scream! I may know a little more now about the first one than I should, but this one is definately a 'scream.'
Note: Nowhere did I see anything relating to Rodriguez though, I usually catch those type of things. I wouldn't doubt it though if Wes or Robert Englund is in that film somewhere.
"Spooky"
And now for "Mr Sardonicus" who didn't like the film. I cut his ending. He said the people that threw the screening asked that the ending be kept quiet, and if he'd liked the film he would have, but since he didn't, he didn't see the need to keep it a secret. Well at that point I erased the rest of it, so I WOULDN'T KNOW!!! There are many more spoilers in this review so watch out, but you won't find the killer here!!!
Just came out of a sneak preview at Innis College at the University of Toronto, of Scream 2. Before the film began, it was a heavy product push on Quentin Tarantino's new, "Jackie Brown" flick. There was also a trailer for some sort of gothic-esque film called "Dark City.
Let me begin by saying that I didn't see Scream. I don't think that fact hindered my enjoying the film, but I will say that there are references a plenty to the first one.
The opening feeds on the audience atmosphere that exists in a special screening. Sort of an art, imitating life, imitating art kind of approach. A great deal of the humour in this movie comes out of roles reprised from Scream 1 and references to kids long since bludgened. It's very much a self-mocking enterprise in the way it goes over the formulae for sequels. There are also a number of funny cameos.
As per the horror aspect, I'm sorry to say it wasn't that good. Those obvious horror tricks that Wes Craven likes to parody, are the same ones he uses time and time again. That was the general feeling of the people in the audience, most of whom had seen the first in this series. With some exceptions you could see the slash coming or the hideout of the knife-wielder. All people kept saying was, "Well, you should have seen the way they did it in the first one". Well, I didn't see the first one - but a lot of people did. And a lot of people didn't think this met the standard established the first time round. Now, I'm getting a little tired of the Neve Campbell pouty lower lip routine. It'll soon be titled, "Party of Six" if the producers eventually give her, 'quivering-so-I-must-be-in-angst' lips their own credit in the show. So that didn't help matters any. The boyfriend in this film is the young, white guy on Sliders and used to be on 'My Secret Identity'. I'm pretty sure he imagines himself to be much better looking that what is actually the case. Noble, heroic acting wears thin after the first 20 frames of film. Courtney isn't aging too well - though they make reference to that fact in the film, so I guess they're off the hook on that one.
With regard to a spoiler, they asked not to reveal the end ...
