Scream 6 (4½ Stars)

How long has it been since we last saw Hayden Panettiere as Kirby Reed in "Scream 4"? 12 years. That's long enough for her to leave high school and become an FBI agent. Girls sure grow up fast these days.

"Scream 6" is a definite improvement on the previous two films. It doesn't attempt to reinvent the series. We still have Ghostface, a group of possible victims and suspects, horror film rules, red herrings and the inevitable revelation at the end. That's exactly what I want from a Scream film. The formula works, and this time there's even a new twist: there isn't just one Ghostface, or even two. There are three.

The biggest change is the move from Woodsboro to New York. It's a refreshing change of scenery without changing the nature of the film. Ghostface is just as dangerous in crowded streets, apartment buildings and subway trains as he was in the quiet streets of Woodsboro. The New York setting gives the familiar formula new possibilities, and the subway sequence is particularly effective.

I had problems following the characters in "Scream 5". There were simply too many of them, and when somebody reappeared after 20 minutes I often had to ask myself who she was. I had no such problem with "Scream 6". The returning characters are now firmly established, while the newcomers are introduced clearly enough that I always knew who was who. It makes the film much easier to follow and, more importantly, easier to enjoy.

The biggest absence is Sidney Prescott. In the first four films she was at the centre of everything, the person the killer ultimately wanted to reach. Her role was already reduced in "Scream 5", where she seemed almost incidental to the main story. Now she's disappeared altogether. I have mixed feelings about this. I miss Sidney, because for so long she was Scream, but "Scream 6" proves that the series can continue without her.

This is still unmistakably Scream. It respects the established formula while finding enough new ideas to keep it fresh. After my disappointment with the last two films, it's good to see Ghostface back on form. And it's always good to see Hayden Panettiere.

Success Rate:  + 3.1

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Scream 4 (4 Stars)

Eleven years after "Scream 3", Ghostface returns to Woodsboro. Sidney Prescott is back in town promoting a book, while Dewey is now the sheriff and Gale is struggling to find a new purpose in life. But this is a new decade. Mobile phones, webcams and the Internet have changed the way young people communicate, horror films have changed and, most importantly, the rules have changed.

The original films played games with the familiar rules of slasher films. Eleven years later, horror has moved on. Remakes and reboots are everywhere, and a new generation has grown up believing it knows exactly what to expect from a horror film. Ghostface has moved on as well, using modern technology to play a new version of the old game. Sidney, Gale and Dewey have to learn that the rules they knew no longer apply.

Hayden Panettiere plays Kirby Reed, one of the new generation. She's confident, likeable and knows almost as much about horror films as Ghostface. She easily stands out among the younger cast.

"Scream 4" is a good film, but for me it doesn't live up to the first three. "Scream 3" brought Sidney's story to a perfect conclusion, and the franchise could have ended there. The fourth film finds a clever reason to bring Ghostface back, but it still feels like reopening a story that had already been completed.

There's another difference that bothers me even more: the music. The first three films were filled with bouncy songs that gave them a distinctive energy. "Scream 4" is acoustically much quieter, with songs only appearing occasionally. It doesn't matter whether they were 90's songs or contemporary songs; I simply miss the constant musical background of the original trilogy. "Scream 4" has Ghostface, Sidney, Gale and Dewey, but it doesn't quite sound like "Scream".

Success Rate:  + 0.4

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I love you, Beth Cooper (3½ Stars)

Yesterday I was sad to hear the news of Hayden Panettiere's death. I immediately decided to watch one of her films to remember her, but I had to delay it because I'd already bought a ticket to watch "The End of Oak Street". I picked "I love you, Beth Cooper" not because it's her best film, but because it's the film in which she has the most screen time.

Dennis Cooverman is the school valedictorian, and during his graduation speech he suddenly declares his love for Beth Cooper, the most popular girl in school. He's sat behind her in class for years, but he barely knows her. To his amazement, Beth turns up at his house that evening with two friends, and what follows is a chaotic night in which Dennis discovers that Beth is very different from the perfect girl he's created in his imagination.

I wouldn't call "I Love You, Beth Cooper" a great film. It's a silly teen comedy, but it's good fun while it lasts. There's not much in the film that's memorable, apart from Hayden Panettiere. She gives Beth an energy and personality that lifts the film whenever she's on screen.

Beth is confident, reckless and seemingly carefree, but there are quieter moments when we see that there's more to her than the beautiful girl Dennis has been dreaming about. Hayden makes those different sides of Beth convincing. The film gives her plenty of opportunity to be funny and exuberant, but also allows her to show Beth's vulnerability.

Don't ask me to defend "I Love You, Beth Cooper". I watched it because I wanted to remember Hayden Panettiere. For that purpose, I couldn't have chosen better.

Hayden Panettiere
August 21, 1989 – August 16, 2026

Success Rate:  - 1.1

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Scream 6 (5 Stars)

The box office success of "Scream 5" (or whatever it was called) has paved the way for a new trilogy. "Scream 6" is a sequel of the requel, as film fan Mindy puts it. If "requel" isn't in the English dictionary, it ought to be. It's a movie which revisits the subject matter of an earlier film but is not a remake or a linear continuation of its plot. "Scream 5" might not have been a reboot of the Scream franchise, but it started the film series again with new ideas.

Gale Weathers has to continue fighting evil by herself after the death of her on-off lover Dewey in the last film.

Before you ask, this is Mindy.

The new trilogy is running parallel to the original trilogy. In "Scream 5" we met the high school teenagers in Woodsboro. Now they're college students in New York. "Scream 6" acknowledges "Scream 4" by bringing back the original character Kirby Riley. The last time we saw her she was in school. Now she's an FBI agent. Time flies.

This is the first film in the series made without Sidney Prescott. The actress Neve Campbell said it was time for her to move on, but I suspect it was because she wanted more money. Whatever the reason, she's promised to come back in the seventh film.

Success Rate:  + 3.1

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Scream 4 (4½ Stars)

What's happened with Gale Weathers and her husband Dwight Riley, nicknamed Dewey? At the end of the last film they were so happy. Whenever we see them together in "Scream 4" they're arguing. It must be tough when a sheriff is married to an investigative reporter. He says something is police business, but she insists on knowing about it because reporters need to know everything. They could discuss it calmly behind closed doors, but she has to humiliate him in public by calling him Sheriff Dewey.

As it turns out, Sheriff Riley (to give him his correct title) needs his wife's assistance. She shows more skill than him in tracking down the new killer wearing the Ghostface mask.

"Scream 4" was made 11 years after "Scream 3". Was it necessary? The story could have been left to rest after the first three films neatly tied up the trilogy. It was the studios that put pressure on Wes Craven to make a fourth film. Decisions are made by money. "Scream 4" should have been the first film in a second trilogy, but it never got that far, for several reasons. It made a profit, but it was less successful than expected. It was produced by the Weinstein Company, which ceased operating due to the sex scandals surrounding Harvey Weinstein. But the main reason was the death of the director, Wes Craven. The Scream franchise couldn't continue without him.

What I like about this film is the return to a predominantly teenage cast. It has the atmosphere of the first film. And the high school students deal with a crisis in the same way: "There's a killer in town? Let's have a party".

Success Rate:  + 0.4

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Scream 6 (4 Stars)

I missed the latest instalment of the Scream franchise when it was in the cinema last year. If I remember correctly, I was in bed sick for a few days. It happens. This week I finally ordered it on Blu-ray. I didn't even wait for the price to fall to my eight Euro maximum. I was so impatient that I paid a whopping 9.99 Euros for the disc.

I shan't write much tonight, because I intend to watch it again soon. I felt like I was missing something. It continues from "Scream 2022" aka "Scream 5", with the same characters. I can only vaguely remember their back stories, so I need to watch the two films back to back. What I do remember is that the music – a vital element of the first four films – was scaled down in the last film, but in "Scream 6" it's been cut to an absolute minimum. That's not good. It's also not good that Neve Campbell is missing from the cast. Maybe she's had enough after 27 years of screaming.

The premise of "Scream 6" is that the teenagers from Woodsboro have gone to study in New York City, and the killer has followed them there. Actually, he hasn't followed them anywhere, because every film has a different killer under the mask. Who is it this time? It could be anyone, even your best friend.

Truer words have never been spoken. But to stop me missing something, there's the excellent web site Aftercredits.com that I always check before I go to the cinema.

Success Rate:  + 3.1

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Scream 4 (4½ Stars)

Yes, I know I'm watching the Scream films out of order. I watched "Scream 2022" aka "Scream 5" yesterday, and now I'm watching "Scream 4". I'd like to blame my son Benjamin, but it's really my own fault. He doesn't force me to watch any film. Next time I watch them, I'll watch all five films in order, probably in March before the sixth film arrives in the cinema. I also intend to make notes with a complete kill list. I know I've watched the films repeatedly, but I can't even name the character played by Drew Barrymore in the first film. I know there are websites that already list the information, but it's more fun to do it myself. I'll just check the websites afterwards to see if I've made any mistakes.

One thing I can say now is that that "Scream 2022" is an improvement over "Scream 4". It's obvious when watching them after one another, even in the wrong order.

I just hope that the new films will be made in quick succession, one a year. Keep up the excitement. The meta aspects and the self-criticism in the last two films especially are a good excuse for any weakening as the series continues. I'll comment further on this after seeing the sixth film in the cinema.

Success Rate:  + 0.4

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Scream 4 (4½ Stars)

"One generation's tragedy is the next one's joke".

This is a film that's growing on me. It's the second time I've watched it this year. The more I watch it, the more I'm convinced that it's a worthy successor to the original three Scream films. Even though the film's tagline is "New decade, new rules" the rules don't seem to be all that different. It's the same meta-horror in which teenage film geeks know they're in a real life horror movie and could die at any moment.

When the film was released in 2011 it was uncertain whether "Scream 4" would be a standalone or the first film in a new trilogy. They said that they would wait to see if it was a box office success. It was sufficiently successful to warrant another two films being made, but legal battles delayed "Scream 5". When Wes Craven died in 2015 it was decided not to continue. That's a shame. I think it could have continued as long as Kevin Williamson remained on board as writer and producer.

Someone commented that my recent reviews have been shorter than my old reviews. In reply, I'd like to point out that I've often written short reviews in the last five years. I write something about every film I watch, since this is my film diary that records everything I watch, but I don't force myself to write a lot when I have nothing to say. This is especially the case when I'm reviewing a film for the third or fourth time. There's only so much I can say.

If I have a lot on my mind when I write a review I'll write more. Otherwise I'll write less. Sometimes I'll give a plot summary, sometimes I won't. I almost always shy away from spoilers, but sometimes I make exceptions in the case of older films. Come to think of it, my review of "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" that I wrote yesterday gives away the ending, but that's not something I do very often. I'm erratic. Deal with it.

Scream 4 (4½ Stars)

When I wrote about "Scream 3" in December I said that there should never have been a fourth instalment. I need to take that back. It's true, the first three Scream films do build a neat little trilogy, complete in itself, but there's room for a continuation. There isn't just room for a continuation, there's a need for one. "Scream 3" was released in 2000. After that the teen slasher genre fizzled out. It's true, there were a few films in the genre, such as "Valentine" in 2001, but none come close to the quality. "Scream 4" might not be quite up to the level of the first three films, but it's still the best teen slasher film made in the last 15 years.

I don't think that the Scream franchise fits the format of a television series. I've watched a few episodes, and although I enjoy the series it's not "Scream". The body count is too low. There ought to be at least two people killed every episode. The problem is that in a TV series characters are developed over the weeks, and it wouldn't be fitting to keep killing off the main characters.

We need teen slasher films. The mixture of high school angst and horror is so delicious. Maybe we can add another two films to make a second Scream trilogy. Maybe we can start a completely new franchise. This might be difficult after Wes Craven's death, but someone somewhere needs to make teen slasher films. Not just one, we need dozens of them. Who's up to the challenge?

Am I the only person who finds Courteney Cox more attractive in "Scream 4" than in the previous three films? In the original trilogy she looked plain, but look at her now. For a 47-year-old woman she's smoking hot!

Racing Stripes (4¼ Stars)

Ai Shinozaki does not appear in this film. I just felt like posting her photo.

The Architect (2 Stars)

Leo Waters has been working as an architect for 20 years. At the beginning of his career he designed a group of buildings that he called Eden Court. Low price mass housing. He was proud of his achievement, so he doesn't understand why the residents are now campaigning to have it ripped down. The problem is that the attractive circular structure and the good visibility across the centre have made it ideal for gangs to develop. In all the years he's kept a model of the court as a trophy, but he's never been back to see what it has become. He lives with his family in a beautiful little house which he also designed. His own family is just as unhappy as the families in Eden Court. His architecture has caused unhappiness for the residents of Eden Court, whereas his personality has caused unhappiness for his own family.

This is a film which I don't quite understand. Of course, I understand what's happening. I understand the conversations, the arguments, and the moral dilemmas of the characters involved. What I don't understand is the message that the director wants to give with the film. The film is based on a successful play by the Scottish playwright David Greig. In listening to the interviews on the DVD it became apparent that one important plot line, Leo's relationship with his daughter, has been omitted from the film apart from small hints. Including it might have improved the film's intelligibility. But as it stands, the film is weak.

Fireflies in the Garden (2½ Stars)

This is a complex family drama told in two episodes, about 20 years apart. Michael Taylor is a successful author. He returns home to his parents after finishing his latest book, the autobiographical story of his childhood and suffering under a cruel, domineering father. In flashbacks we see the events that he has written about.

Judging by the abundance of top actors in the film it was intended to be a big film. But somehow it just doesn't work. There are too many characters and too many events stuffed into the 90 minute film. If this had been a true story I could have excused it, because real life is never tidy, but as a work of fiction it's too messy. Too much happens in the present, such as Michael's mother dying and his ex-wife getting pregnant. If the film had concentrated on the past events and kept the present events to a minimum it would have been better. Some things were cut too short, such as Michael's relationship with his Aunt Jane. I was hoping to see some intensification of the sexual attraction after the first teasing encounter at her bedroom door.

But my biggest disappointment -- and yes, I know this is a spoiler, but I'll include it because I don't recommend the film -- is that Michael decided to burn his manuscript before it was published. Destroying the past is a sin. It should be remembered, whether it is good or bad.

One amusing thing about the film is the casting of Michael's Aunt Jane. As a teenager she's played by Hayden Panettiere, as a middle-aged woman she's played by Emily Watson. No! I do not believe that a person could change so much in 20 years, you can't convince me. Apart from Emily being six inches taller, how could her eyes have changed from brown to blue?

Bring it on: All or Nothing (5 Stars)

Cheerleading can be war. This film is packed with much more excitement and raw action than the first two flms in the Bring It On series. Right from the opening scene I was sitting up and tapping my foot. Even the final credits were exciting.

The film stars Hayden Panettiere, the ultimate cheerleader, as Britney Allen. She's the most successful girl in Pacific Vista High School. Britney is captain of the cheerleading squad, she's dating the school quarterback, and she even manages to maintain a C average in her classes. Her world breaks apart when her father's job forces her family to relocate and she has to go to a new school, Crenshaw Heights High School, in which she's the only white girl. Immediately her status drops from the centre of attraction to total outsider. The only way she can find her way back to popularity is by pursuing her love of cheerleading.

The film uses music and dance so frequently that it seems like a string of music videos. This might not be to everyone's taste, but it's something I enjoy. Elements of cheerleading drama and romantic comedy are successfully entwined.

Even though it was never shown in cinemas, "Bring it on: All or Nothing" is an extremely successful film. Over one million copies have been sold on DVD, which is a large number for a direct-to-video film. I don't have to feel ashamed that I like it so much, I'm not alone in my opinion. I find it much more satisfying to watch than the original "Bring it on". I know I'm provoking hate mail, but it's also a lot more enjoyable than the Indiana Jones film I watched yesterday.

The Dust Factory (3½ Stars)

Ryan Kelley was a normal young boy who lived in a small farming community. The location isn't named, but I assume that it's intended to be Oregon, where the film was made. The whole surroundings are like in the Wizard of Oz, which I assume is deliberate. When Ryan was nine years old he witnessed his father die in an accident on a railway crossing. As a result of the trauma he became unable to speak. His mother remarries and cares for him, but speaking is impossible. His grandfather suffers from Alzheimer's and sits in his chair staring at the floor all day.

Six years later Ryan falls from a bridge and nearly drowns. After struggling out of the water he finds himself in a place that looks the same, but everything has changed. His home looks like his home, but his parents are gone, and the house has been redecorated. The only familiar person is his grandfather, who is now cured of his ailment. To his surprise Ryan finds that he can talk normally again.

The grandfather tells Ryan that they are now in a magical world between life and death. There is no night, day never ends, and normal physical laws don't apply. Ryan meets other people in this world who are in the same state that he is, in particular a teenage girl called Melanie. The centre of this world is a big top called the "Dust Factory", a circus-like establishment ruled over by a sinister person called the Ringmaster. All the residents of the world are encouraged to perform on the high trapeze. If a person jumps successfully he passes on to paradise; if he falls he returns to his old life at the point where he left it.

As a fairy tale this film is good fun. Though made for children, I could enjoy it as an adult. My personal problem with the film is that there seems to be no incentive. It's a win-win-win situation. If you jump successfully you go to paradise, which is obviously the best result. If you jump and fall you return to your home and loved ones, as if nothing has happened, which is exactly what most people in the world would want. But if you choose not to jump you remain in this wonderful world, which to me personally looks even better than the real world. If all three of these possibilities are positive, why does the Ringmaster seem so sinister?

Armin Mueller-Stahl makes the viewer feel at home as the man everyone would like as a grandfather. I feel that the writer and director wanted to make some sort of philosophical point, but even after reading other reviews I don't get it. Nevertheless, it's a happy film, enjoyable to watch. Think of it as good, wholesome family viewing, unlike a lot of the films that I write about.

Raising Helen (3 Stars)

Helen Harris is a successful career woman who works as an agent in the fashion industry. She's single and happy, living a life of glamour. Everything changes when her sister Linsey is killed in a car accident, and she is appointed legal guardian of her three children. The film follows her successes and failures as an unwilling mother.

About half an hour in Helen meets a Lutheran pastor, and I realised that the rules of a romantic comedy were being applied. In many ways this film is similar to "Overboard". The main difference is that in "Overboard" the romantic comedy aspect is the main plot and the children are a subplot, while in "Raising Helen" it's the other way round.

Kate Hudson is very likeable in her role as Helen. The rest of the cast, both the adults and the children, fit in well. I was pleasantly surprised to see Kevin Kilner as Helen's brother-in-law Ed. I know him from his leading role in "Earth Final Conflict", but this is the first film I've seen him in. In my opinion he's an undiscovered actor. He should be given bigger roles.

Shanghai Kiss (3½ Stars)

In my post on "Overboard" I stated the rules for a romantic comedy. This film is a slight variation of the rules, in that the boy and the girl are switched. i.e. "Boy meets girl", "The boy doesn't like the girl, but as time goes on he grows to like her", etc. As soon as you've made that switch in your head the film is predictable.

Liam is a Chinese American whose parents emigrated to America shortly before his birth. His mother died on his sixth birthday, and he despises his father because of his drunkenness. He moves to Los Angeles to make it in the film business, but he can't even get a job making commercials. On a bus he meets Adelaide, a schoolgirl who falls in love with him at first sight. He resists her advances because of her age -- he's 28, she's 16 -- but they nevertheless become friends. She refers to him as her boyfriend, but he insists that it's platonic.

Things change when his grandmother dies and he inherits her house in Shanghai. He travels to China to sell the house, but then decides to remain there. He meets a mysterious woman called Micki and falls in love with her despite the secrets she's keeping. But of course, by this point connoisseurs of romantic comedies have already realised that he must return to Adelaide eventually; that's the rules!

Hayden Panettiere shines as the jailbait schoolgirl Adelaide. Jailbait in America, at least. In England and most other countries she would be old enough. I was especially impressed by the performance of Ken Leung as Liam. I didn't remember him, but a quick check in IMDB has told me he's appeared in quite a few films that I've seen, including "X-Men: The Last Stand" and "Red Dragon". I was pleased to see James Hong as Liam's father, and I was disappointed that he only had a very small role. He has appeared in over 150 films and 200 television series since 1955, but I've only noticed him once before, in his terrific performance in "The Idol". He seems destined to be a great unknown actor.

I haven't rated the film any higher because the romance itself is played down. Hayden Panettiere has too little screen time while Ken Leung is on the other side of the world. It's more interesting to watch it as a portrayal of how a young man is struggling to get back in touch with his ethnic roots. I can't really relate to the film, but I'll probably come back and watch it again a year from now.

Good Student (4 Stars)

Hayden Panettiere plays a cheerleader. Now where have I seen that before?

History teacher Ronald Gibb (played by Tim Daly) is a loner who lives in a trailer and watches porn films with titles like "Young, blonde and ready". He has a crush on his 17-year-old student Ally Palmer (Hayden Panettiere). After he gives her a ride home from school one evening she disappears, and he is the main suspect. He offers a $68,000 reward for her return in an attempt to prove his innocence. But even if he can escape prosecution for kidnapping his reputation is already ruined when a photo is published of him kissing Ally.

This is a minimalist low budget film, but its sparseness is fascinating in itself. It shows the hidden secrets and hypocrisy in small town Poughkeepsie. It's better than a lot of films with bigger budgets.

I love you, Beth Cooper (3½ Stars)

The film starts on graduation day at Buffalo Glenn High School in Washington. Denis Cooverman, who is planning to study medicine at Stanford, holds the valedictorian speech. Instead of a typical "looking back and looking forward" speech he calls on the students to find the courage to say things they have wanted to say for years but never had the courage. He calls on others to say "I'm gay", "I have an eating disorder" or "I'm a bully", and everyone knows who he is talking about. His own personal confession is to say "I love you, Beth Cooper". Beth was the leader of the cheerleading squad, and he had always thought of her as out of his league.

But then a miracle happens. Denis and his best friend Richard hold a party that evening, and Beth comes to the party with her cheerleading friends. Maybe Denis does have a chance with Beth after all, but only if he can fight off her jealous boyfriend.

The choice of the film's main actors can't be faulted. Hayden Panettiere is beautiful and self-confident, Paul Rust is awkward and geeky. I haven't seen Hayden in many films, but she seems to be type cast as a cheerleader. It's a role she plays well. I haven't noticed Paul before, but his acting impressed me. As for the film itself, it's no masterpiece, but it's enjoyable enough to be watched once. It's not the best teen comedy ever made, but it's certainly not the worst.

Scream 4 (4½ Stars)

The Scream trilogy was complete. Nicely rounded off. A film trilogy that will stand for all time as a classic. Then 11 years passed. And now... a new film? What's it about? The trilogy has become a tetralogy? Or it's the first film in a second trilogy? See "Star Wars". I'm not sure. I haven't heard anything about a "Scream 5" being planned, but anything is possible.

The film continues in the same vein as the previous films. Sidney Prescott, no longer a teenager, is being stalked by an interchangeable serial killer. In every film a different person puts on the mask of "Ghostface" to spread his revenge. And as in all films the characters claim they are in a horror film and have to follow the rules of horror films if they want to survive. The movie buffs in the film use the word "reboot" to describe the film a few times, but it's not really a reboot. To be a reboot it would have to be new actors playing the old characters.

Is the film good? I missed "Scream 4" in the cinemas, and I read a lot of reviews before finally watching the film. Most of the reviews were negative. "Nothing new", "the same old story", etc. Well duh! That's the whole point. The film is deliberately rehashing the old plots. Each new incarnation of Ghostface is a copycat killer, that's the whole premise of the film series. And the characters in this film are looking at the old killings (which have been filmed as the "Stab" films within the films) and expecting the killer to make the same moves. "Nothing new" is the film's strength. So whatever anyone else says, I love it.

Click here to view the trailer.