5280 Geek

08/20/2024

**COFOH AUTHOR ANNOUNCEMENT**
Cofoh: Colorado Festival of Horror is thrilled to announce Bram Stoker Award-winning author Stephen Graham Jones is returning to our convention Sept 13-15! Stephen will be signing comics & books at the Hex Publishers/Metal X Entertainment tables in the Death Dealers Room as well as participating on panels at COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024! Come meet the co-writer of TRUE BELIEVERS, the comic book series that introduces Killr™, the slasher who terrorizes cosplayers and attendees at the Colorado Festival of Horror! The Release Event panel for TRUE BELIEVERS issues #1 and #2 is scheduled for Saturday morning. Plus Killr™ Brew is this year’s exclusive COFOH beer from sponsor Outworld Brewing and with art from Matthew Therrien Illustration.

Pick up tickets, hotel packages, photo ops, & exclusive merch now at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/colorado-festival-of-horror-cofoh-2024-friday-the-13th-tickets-797911393457

Stephen Graham Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of nearly thirty novels and collections, and there’s some novellas and comic books in there as well. Stephen’s been an NEA recipient, has won the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Fiction, the LA Times Ray Bradbury Prize, the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, WLA’s Distinguished Achievement Award, ALA’s RUSA Award and Alex Award, the 2023 American Indian Festival of Words Writers Award, four Bram Stoker Awards®, two Shirley Jackson Awards, five This is Horror Awards, and he’s been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and the British Fantasy Award. He’s also made Bloody Disgusting’s Top Ten Horror Novels, and is the guy who wrote Mongrels, The Only Good Indians, My Heart is a Chainsaw, Don’t Fear the Reaper, The Angel of Indian Lake, and I Was A Teenage Slasher. Stephen’s comic books include IDW’s Earthdivers and Metal X Entertainment’s True Believers which feature the cosplay slasher Killr™ creating havoc at the Colorado Festival of Horror convention! Stephen lives and teaches in Boulder, Colorado.

™

08/19/2024

Ed Edmunds of Distortions Unlimited - Official & his team of Distorters paint over 50 masks in 10 minutes and throw them to the crowd at Monster Day Greeley! I think I might know someone who caught one (not me). 😁 Distortions is once again providing monster props for us to display at the COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024! Don't miss these creatures waiting for you around every corner!

Cofoh: Colorado Festival of Horror tickets & hotel packages available now at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/colorado-festival-of-horror-cofoh-2024-friday-the-13th-tickets-797911393457

08/19/2024

Finishing up side quest and revealing the fun free-be for the upcoming It's fun to see a project get crossed off the to-do list, no matter how pocket sized. Both my picture books BEACH DAY A lil' Boo Adventure available now as well as SNOW DAY a lil' Boo Adventure

Finishing up side quest and revealing the fun free-be for the upcoming It's fun to see a project get crossed off the to-do list, no...

08/19/2024

** COFOH GUEST CANCELLATIONS **
Some bad and good news. Unfortunately, VFX guests Matt Haslam & Christopher Warren have to cancel their appearance at COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024. However, the good news, their company Blind Beagle VFX just got a new Hollywood film contract. We wish Blind Beagle VFX the best!

08/19/2024

Well that was a trippy film. We get why it’s a cult classic! Jeanni & I watched Snoop Dogg & Pam Grier in BONES tonight. Great horror film from 2001. We can’t wait to meet Pam Grier in less than 3 weeks at COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024!

08/16/2024

Did the Joker so it’s only fair to focus on Harley! We will go step by step through how to make an EVA foam prop - the Harley Quinn Gr***de Launcher! Making an EVA foam cosplay prop is easy and we’ll show you how to do it. You can make your very own cosplay prop by watching this video! Making foam props is easy to learn and we’ll help you do it. Making an EVA foam Gr***de Launcher will be covered in very simple step by step instructions. So come hang out with us and learn how to make your very own Harley Quinn Gr***de Launcher foam prop!

We will go step by step through how to make an eva foam prop - the Harley Quinn Gr***de Launcher! Making an eva foam cosplay prop is easy and we’ll show you ...

08/16/2024

** ONE WEEK LEFT for DISCOUNTED ROOMS at COFOH **
Reserve your DISCOUNTED hotel room at the Marriott Denver South at Park Meadows for COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024! Prices go up next Friday August 23rd!

Don't miss a weekend full of spooky vendors, creepy panels, horror workshops, scary films & shorts, your favorite celebrities, SPFX behind-the-scenes masters, award-winning writers, and after-hours activities like trivia, karaoke, drawing competition, midnight campfire ghost stories, sing-a-longs, and more! You'll want to stay the night and party with Cofoh: Colorado Festival of Horror!

Discounted Hotel Reservations: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1706813760668&key=GRP&app=resvlink

Tickets & Hotel Packages: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/colorado-festival-of-horror-cofoh-2024-friday-the-13th-tickets-797911393457

Image credit: Slasher Hotel Art from WR Painter Fine Art who will be back in the Death Dealers Room for COFOH 2024!

08/16/2024

** COFOH PROGRAMMING **
Godzillafest returns 9am Sunday Sept 15th in the Voorhees Victims Video Room at COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024! Our favorite Godzillafest host Lynelle Phillips is back with prizes & treats for attendees!

Pick up tickets, hotel packages, photo ops, & exclusive merch now at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/colorado-festival-of-horror-cofoh-2024-friday-the-13th-tickets-797911393457

08/16/2024

**SPECIAL MESSAGE from COFOH SPECIAL GUEST **
We can't wait to meet Tiffany Shepis at COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024 next month! Tiffany will be meeting fans, signing autographs, doing photo ops, and introducing one of her films at Cofoh: Colorado Festival of Horror! Plus Zack Beins of Talkin' Troma will host a Q&A with her in Monster Main Events!

Pick up tickets, hotel packages, photo ops with Tiffany, & exclusive merch now at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/colorado-festival-of-horror-cofoh-2024-friday-the-13th-tickets-797911393457

Tiffany Shepis-Tretta was born and raised in New York City. She got her start in Lloyd Kaufman and James Gunn’s Tromeo and Juliet when she was just 16 years old. Since then Tiffany has made over 150 independent films: most notably the SYFY hit Abominable, the late-night fan favorite The Hazing, After Dark Horrorfest’s Nightmare Man, Sundance Film Festival’s The Violent Kind, Adam Green’s Victor Crowley, and Debbie Rochon’s Model Hunger, as well as the multi-award-winning The Frankenstein Syndrome and the mega cult hit Sharknado 2: The Second One! Recently she starred in the final season of Star Trek: Picard as “Dr. Ohk”. Tiffany continues to work as an actress, host and producer and is constantly on fan favorite lists such as Playboy’s top sexiest scream queens.

***oy

08/15/2024

** COFOH VIP BADGE ANNOUNCEMENT **
VIP badges are almost sold out! This year's VIP badge artwork is from Anja Jaeger and creepily evokes our 4th year "Friday the 13th" theme for COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024!

Pick up your VIP tickets, regular tickets, hotel packages, photo ops with celebrities, & exclusive merch now at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/colorado-festival-of-horror-cofoh-2024-friday-the-13th-tickets-797911393457

Anja's original badge artwork is hand-painted and they will have a limited number of these prints available at their table in the Death Dealers Room at Cofoh: Colorado Festival of Horror.

Anja Jaeger is a creator of spooky stories and illustrations for kids. They have a background in folklore, languages, and art styles of the American Southwest. While original stories and characters are their number one passion, cosplay shenanigans and overall silliness are also a big part of their presence. They are most known for their nonbinary children's character, Lil' Boo.

08/14/2024

and it’s a great day to be a comic book enthusiast! It’s all Spidey this week as Marvel offers 7 different Spider-Man based stories with a few attached to the new Venom War starting. X-Factor launches, and we get the second issue for X-Men as well; while DC gives us World War V and what if Robin had Lived. Image has a great horror story from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips in Houses of the Unholy as Na**lm Lullaby continues to run strong. Sponsored by All C's Collectibles as we get closer to the free to attend event of the fall season All C's Collector's Showcase September 6th – 8th. For now, let’s see what the must read of the week are as we’ve got five stacked high ready to fly.

#11> Only Optimus Prime can save Earth and Cybertron.
But will all of the Autobots stand with him?
(S) Daniel Warren Johnson (A) Mike Spicer, Jorge Corona
Smurfs Take> A whole new level of Transformers that I didn’t think possible as we expand and explore characters that seemed great but always in the background. Shockwave got some time in the comics but not to this level and Soundwave has been great. I hope they don’t ruin it by bringing Megatron back, I think it would drastically change what has been a fresh and shocking direction for the fans. Fan or not of the characters, every comic fan should be reading this title!

#3> The penultimate chapter of arc one brings tension, action, and the embers of romance are lit. MacRaith is a wounded soul from Bleeding Kansas, and he can't even get along with the other murderers and assassins in purgatory. The cult ruling the island marks him for annihilation with a cruel and extremely violent attack, but luckily he's got an ace up his duster's sleeve: the folded steel blades of Lady Asami.
GERRY DUGGAN (X-Men) and GARRY BROWN (Babyteeth) take you on an unforgettable trip to the heart—that leads through hell. (S) Gerry Duggan (A) Garry Brown
Smurfs Take> Sooooo good! I was hooked with the title and then the ashcan really got my attention. Now the story and visuals are nothing close to what I expected and it’s glorious. This will be epic! It will be the what the Waling Dead was when it first started coming out, I have no doubt about it. Get in on the ground floor now while you can because I have a feeling this will be the big hit series for years to come. Oh, and did I mention…everyone is dead.

#3> CHAPTER THREE
Adam Strange’s understanding of the ancient world is flipped upside down as he’s saved by Diana of Themyscira! Batman searches for the jade ring of Jong Li and goes undercover to confront Selina Kyle for its whereabouts. Little do they know, it’s halfway across the country, on board the same train as a young aerialist named Alan Scott! (S) Andy Diggle (A) Leandro Fernandez
Smurfs Take> This right here is why I miss the Elseworld titles. Was happy to see DC revisit this world and even happier now with the story. Something different, something fun, and made for the fans.

#49> "IMPERIAL SCHISM" NEARS ITS THRILLING CLIMAX! LUKE SKYWALKER faces the full might of the SCHISM IMPERIAL! SLY MOORE makes the biggest choice of her life! The M.A.R. Corps gains the upper hand! And DARTH VADER confronts the consequences of his ruthless quest for unlimited power! (S) Greg Pak (A) Raffaele Ienco
Smurfs Take> This has been a great expansion to the cannon and even more for exploring Vader and now Luke. I know it’s nothing we will ever see on any screen but just to enjoy this as a fan, reading it and thinking how it all fits together is enough for me.

#3> INTRODUCING…THE SHE-HULK! The Ultimates search for a means of destroying the Maker's most powerful pawn, the Hulk! And in the process they uncover an army of Hulks hidden away from the world… …with She-Hulk at the helm! (S) Deniz Camp (A) Juan Frigeri
Smurfs Take> The story so far has been interesting, enjoyable and I think that’s from the introduction of the new characters and the question of how much they have been changed and all fit together as a team. But then, I’m always a sucker for an origin, the true test will be as we move past that and get to the core story and seeing if it has the strength to stand on its own. For now, I’m in but ready for more.

08/13/2024

** COFOH WINE ANNOUNCEMENT **
One month from today join us for the the 4th Annual COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024 at the Marriott Denver South at Park Meadows!

Our sponsor Dragon Meadery LLC has made a savory cabernet sauvignon which we lovingly call STABERNET! At this year's Cofoh: Colorado Festival of Horror, you can order STABERNET at our beer & wine stand in the main hallway of the convention. Join us for a special toast at Opening Ceremonies Friday the 13th at 5pm in Monster Main Events!

Pick up tickets, hotel packages, photo ops & merch now at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/colorado-festival-of-horror-cofoh-2024-friday-the-13th-tickets-797911393457

Dragon Meadery LLC is Colorado's Premier and Award-winning Meadery featuring artisanal meads (honey wines) crafted with fresh mountain water, locally sourced honey, fresh & pressed local fruits, while adding their culinary knowledge to the mead-making process for a unique & flavorful experience in Aurora, CO.
https://dragonmeadery.com/

This year's wine label has again been created by one of our favorite local artists Joe Blablazo who you can catch in the COFOH Death Dealers Room all weekend long. Our wine name came from one of our awesome COFOH merch volunteers Chelsea!

08/12/2024

Lots of little nothings getting done this week. The little things add up to productiveness, right? Some book progress but lots of studio chaos. Both my picture books BEACH DAY A lil' Boo Adventure available now as well as SNOW DAY a lil' Boo Adventure

Lots of little nothings getting done this week. The little things add up to productiveness, right? Some book progress but lots of studio chaos.Both my pictur...

08/12/2024

Want to win a horror movie prize pack? Cofoh: Colorado Festival of Horror is doing a giveaway for a tote bag, shirt, trucker hat, wine opener, and two tickets to the advance screening of MGM’s upcoming film, BLINK TWICE, the directorial debut from Zoë Kravitz! The screening will take place on Wednesday, August 21, 6:30pm at UA Colorado Center in Denver, and the winner must attend to redeem the full prize pack. Fill out this Google form to enter to win:

https://forms.gle/ARHoK8jYKzSU8vuz8

Multiple entries will be disqualified. While supplies last. Winner will be notified by Friday, August 16.

Opening Date: Friday, August 23
Rating: Rated R for strong violent content, sexual assault, drug use and language throughout
Genre: Suspense, Horror
Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmCCQ80iAf8
https://www.facebook.com/blinktwicemovie
https://www.instagram.com/blinktwicemovie
https://www.tiktok.com/

SYNOPSIS:

When tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) meets cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) at his fundraising gala, sparks fly. He invites her to join him and his friends on a dream vacation on his private island. It’s paradise. Wild nights blend into sun-soaked days and everyone's having a great time. No one wants this trip to end, but as strange things start to happen, Frida begins to question her reality. There is something wrong with this place. She’ll have to uncover the truth if she wants to make it out of this party alive.

Hope to see everyone at the movies and at the 4th annual COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024! Stay scared!

08/09/2024

Ok!! Time to get it finished and make it real with the final touches for the home stretch!! Part two of building the Jokers Dart Gun, a lot to do but super easy. We will go step by step through how to make an EVA foam prop - the Joker’s Poison Dart Gun! Making an EVA foam cosplay prop is easy and we’ll show you how to do it. You can make your very own cosplay prop by watching this video! Making foam props is easy to learn and we’ll help you do it. So come hang out with us and learn how to make your very own Joker’s Poison Dart Gun foam prop!

Ok!! Time to get it finished and make it real!!

08/09/2024

** COFOH MERCH ANNOUNCEMENT **
Cofoh: Colorado Festival of Horror & FanSets have teamed up to create an exclusive pin for this year's COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024! Don't be unlucky by missing out on this limited edition pin!

Tickets, hotel packages, photo ops & exclusive merch: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/colorado-festival-of-horror-cofoh-2024-friday-the-13th-tickets-797911393457

08/09/2024

08/09/2024

** ONLY TWO WEEKS LEFT **
To reserve your DISCOUNTED hotel room at the Marriott Denver South at Park Meadows for COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024! Prices go up after August 23rd!

Don't miss a weekend full of spooky vendors, creepy panels, horror workshops, scary films & shorts, your favorite celebrities, SPFX behind-the-scenes masters, award-winning writers, and after-hours activities like trivia, karaoke, drawing competition, midnight campfire ghost stories and more! You'll want to stay the night and party with Cofoh: Colorado Festival of Horror!

Discounted Hotel Reservations: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1706813760668&key=GRP&app=resvlink

Tickets & Hotel Packages: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/colorado-festival-of-horror-cofoh-2024-friday-the-13th-tickets-797911393457

08/08/2024

**COFOH VENDOR ANNOUNCEMENT**
Visit L.S. Strange in the Death Dealers Room at the COLORADO FESTIVAL OF HORROR: FRIDAY THE 13TH September 13th-15th, 2024 to get your signed Collector’s Limited-Edition copy of OUR HAUNTED PAST: THE HOUSE WITH TWO STORIES.

Pick up tickets & hotel packages now for the Cofoh: Colorado Festival of Horror at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/colorado-festival-of-horror-cofoh-2024-friday-the-13th-tickets-797911393457

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Thinking it would be their dream home, at times it was a nightmare. Living in a haunted house for twenty-seven years reinforced that there are things which cannot be explained. This factual, unvarnished account provided a way to exorcise the demons that plagued them. Feel the same rush of emotions and intensity as you learn about the variety of supernatural events they experienced, many of which are chronicled in their nonfiction book, OUR HAUNTED PAST: THE HOUSE WITH TWO STORIES by L.S. Strange.

08/08/2024

For your Quarters Worth a review of M. Night’s latest movie, Trap

At this point for me M. Night movies land in 1 of 2 categories. 1, Decent and Entertaining enough but I forget about it immediately like 'Cabin in the Woods' 2. Unintentionally Hilarious in a way that only M. Night can deliver like 'Old'. 'Trap' lands in the second category, mostly. It is an M. Night movie in that none of the people in it actually act like real Human Beings. The exposition is unnatural and easily offered up by any character that has some. It really only takes one prompt from someone for a character to start on some long stretch of dialogue explaining the situation or their feelings or other character's motivations. There is one lady who is a professional Profiler and all of her dialogue made me laugh out loud from either explaining Way too much or predicting exactly what Josh Hartnett's character is doing at that moment because she's such a good Profiler.

I really like Josh Hartnett, I always have. I think he is an underrated talent and he is the biggest reason I wanted to see this movie. Unfortunately he is stuck with M. Night's dialogue. I'm sure Hartnett could've played a loving father trying to keep his evil side inside exceptionally well but it seems M. Night didn't want a nuanced performance he wanted a little ham and Hartnett delivers but instead of fun it can be hard to watch (cringe worthy) or embarrassing. When he's in “Dad Mode” he does a good job of capturing one of those Dads that tries way too hard to please their daughter but the problem with that is those Dads are unbearable. And then when he gets to, “Go Dark” it's such a dramatic switch to 'Pure Evil' that it comes off as funny. Also I understand that the idea of this movie is for us to be rooting for Hartnett’s character, or at least be interested and concerned in how he's going to get out of this situation. Which would work if everything didn't go so well for him. Each time a new obstacle arises the solution immediately presents itself. It felt like he was playing a Hitman game on Easy Mode. It is not thrilling to watch, again it's just funny and predictable how everything just falls right into his lap.

This could be a spoiler but I'm going to say it anyway because it's really just shady marketing. About Half of the movie takes place at the concert. I feel like I should mention this since the concert scenario is the entire draw and should be the focal point of the movie but unfortunately that portion ends shockingly quick. So, if you were wondering how M. Night was going to manage making a full movie off this concept, he didn't. Which leads me to the biggest issue of this movie. Lady Raven aka Saleka Shyamalan, yes that is M. Night's daughter.

Now this is not going to be a tirade about Nepotism because whatever, I really don't care in most cases. And honestly if I were a famous Director and my children (friends and family really) were interested I'd involve them if I could but maybe not to the extent M. Night has here. So Saleka plays Lady Raven the pop star they're going to see in the film. And the music is... fine, not my jam to be honest either way but plays a small part to the story. They build her up to be a performer on Taylor Swift's level, but I don't think this music would get her there realistically. And when she is up on stage performing, she's fine, she's a pop star in real life so she knows how to do all that. There are moments where she talks to the crowd and shows she's not a trained actress but again they're short moments better described as filler and a chance to highlight his daughter. UNTIL... she takes over the whole damn movie out of nowhere! After the concert ends Lady Raven becomes the protagonist and almost a final girl of sorts and during all that Saleka definitely demonstrates she’s not an actress, it’s very painful in some places. She's not good and yet she gets a lot of screen time that she shouldn't. Including a moment where they just stop a tense scene dead so she can play an uninterrupted song on the piano for at least two and a half minutes. I hate to just call her out and lay into her about all this but, her dad put her in that situation, and he shouldn't have, it's okay to say no if it's going to hurt your movie which it absolutely did. She has long moments of drawn-out dialogue where I seriously considered walking out of the theater. She is the only thing stopping me from showing this movie to my friends to laugh at like I did with 'Old' but Saleka is so bad it even ruins that, making it impossible to share.

Finally, the twist, it's nothing and whatever twist you may have come up with going into the movie or during it is better than the one we receive as an audience. Not good, not interesting, but I didn't see it coming. Mostly because it was so far out there, how/why would I have ever guessed it?
In conclusion I don't recommend this movie at least in a theater. Watch it on streaming if you're really interested and then you can feel less guilty when you shut it off after Saleka takes over and that is your Quarters Worth.

08/07/2024

Your Quarters Worth Twisters Double Feature: Retrospective & Review

INTRO
Recently my family and I spent a day celebrating the release of Twisters by getting together, watching the original, eating our version of Aunt Meg’s cookin’ and then seeing the new film in IMAX, We had a wonderful day and I’d like to share my thoughts on the films and the experience as it was truly a day that reminded me why Film means so much to me.

TWISTER
The Experience: Mine has always been a movie family growing up which I am very grateful for. The 90's were a great time to be a kid/pre-teen with the kinds of films we were getting. They were all entertaining as hell and fun for the whole family. Twister is a great example of this. We went opening weekend back in 1996 and we’ve been watching it ever since. We aren’t usually together when we watch anymore but I still think we all manage to watch it annually in our own separate lives.
It also became a staple in our house because it was one of the two films we used to test out any new sound system my dad just bought, which was rather often. The other film was Top Gun. Watching Twister again with the family was great, like no time had passed as they say. The comfort and joy of experience a favorite together is special and we don’t get the opportunity to do it much anymore. It also helped that it was accompanied by another family staple, my dad’s cooking.
As further celebration of the films my Dad made us his version of the meal Aunt Meg serves the team in the first film. Eggs, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, and instead of Steak we did Hamburger Steaks with cheese. It was of course, delicious.

The Film: Twister is still great! Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt are just fantastic, and they work with and bounce off each other so well, it’s so fun. Helen Hunt especially delivers a more emotionally nuanced performance as someone who is almost dangerously obsessed with something as a result of childhood trauma. All that could easily go to a much darker place, but the Film and Hunt maintain the lightness of the tone while still delivering effective emotional beats. Her delivery of the line “You’ve never seen it miss this and miss that house and come after you” really sells her obsession and slight delusion that drives her, and it really got to me on a rewatch. Also, I HAVE to mention the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Dusty. He injects so much energy and fun into the film it makes you want to know a dude like that in real life.
I think the effects and action sequences totally hold up. There are some wonky moments here and there but that’s common in big blockbusters these days, including Twisters. But like Twisters it’s never enough to take you out of the experience. Before we watched it, I looked up the original trailer for Twister and if that dropped these days, I’d still be there opening day. I wish it had been an option to see it in a theater again.
Great Characters, Great Action, Great Film. As good as it was 26 years ago.

TWISTERS

The Experience: The Family and I had to see it on the biggest screen we could, so we went for the IMAX and I’m glad we did. Some of us wanted to do it the 4DX but not everyone wanted to be thrown around for two hours. After my first viewing I decided I will be seeing it in the 4DX for my second.
Been a while since the whole family went to a movie together and it was really nice. No one fell asleep, no one had to go to the restroom in the middle of it. We were all glued to our seats and having a great time. And as a bonus they all got to experience their favorite part of going to the theater with me, watching me absolutely weep at a movie trailer. This time it was Alien Romulus.

The Film: Do you remember when Disaster movies were full of heart, humor, good characters, as well as exciting spectacle? Twisters remembers.
Let’s start with the Direction by Lee Isaac Chung. I loved it. One element of this film I especially appreciated were the scene transitions. There was an early one that used a seamless as hell sky transition and I thought to myself “oooh that’s nice” and we got a few more later that were just as smooth and tasty. One tornado sequence is done in a one off and its fantastically intense. And I got to give some credit to the writing as well because there’s a lot of exposition in this movie, there kind of has to be, but it is consistently delivered in a natural or entertaining ways. It made us feel like we’re learning but not actually being taught. And of course, the tornado action is awesome! There’s a higher body count than the first but that’s to be expected in a modern film. It never gets too bleak or gratuitous, but it does ratchet up the tension when an established character is in mortal danger. It helps that most of the characters are very like-able.

Let’s start with Main two, Kate played by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Tyler played by Glen Powell. They’re both great and have really good chemistry that is completely believable. I won’t compare them to Paxton and Hunt because the movie really doesn’t. If anything, Kate is a combination of both those characters with the sense for storms and being out of the game but also the tragic backstory and Edgar-Jones carries all that wonderfully. Then there’s Tyler. Tyler is the kind of southern truck cowboy do**he I should hate, but Glen Powell is too damn charming. He’s a natural born movie star, no wonder he’s exploding lately. (Side Note: Super excited to see him in Edgar Wright’s ‘Running Man’)
The supporting cast in this is also very strong. The new team of scrappy chasers is full of fun and interesting folks. But notably less members than the original film which lets each individual member shine a bit more and there’s not a weak link amongst them. But I will highlight Katy O’Brien as Dani, she was very good in ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ and it was cool to see her also nail a much more lighthearted and fun role, she was probably my favorite. Brandon Perea as Boone is about the closest we get to the new Dusty, and he lives up to it. He’s also a loud Youtuber, another kind of person I should hate but he’s too damn fun. Finally, Kieran Shipka as Addy really just to mention that I felt she was actually the highlight of the recent film ‘Longlegs” which had Nicholas Cage and so many others doing great work, so it was good to see Shipka make her mark in Twisters as well. She deserves more and bigger parts in movies, says I.

When it comes to comparing this one to the original, I just rather not. One doesn’t have to be better than the other. Twisters is worthy to stand beside Twister and they make a hell of a double feature. There’s really only one thing cementing this film as a sequel, and it was enough for me. I also think it makes sense that we got a sequel so many years after the original. In the first film they were experiencing an unprecedented Tornado streak. (They have to in order to get all the Tornado action in a span of two days.) So, it makes sense that it would take 26 years for something like that to happen again.

Okay, things I didn’t like. There’s only 2 and they really don’t have any huge effect on the quality of the film. They are more personal gripes than anything.
1. No Helen Hunt. There is a character in there that could’ve been and I think maybe was supposed to be Helen Hunt at some point but they decided against it. Probably because it would fall into a big Legacy Sequel troupe that audiences are really tired of but it would’ve been nice to see Helen in there somewhere.
2. The title reveal. This is a very specific gripe but the title reveal at the beginning is just a bit boring which is a shame because there is a perfect place for it a little later. After the exciting prologue while we’re still holding our breath, they could’ve just hit us with it like a “Hell Yeah welcome to Twisters BABY!” As it stands, I think it’s a little too subtle to muster up the proper excitement.

Homages: This film has a lot of little call backs to the original film but none of them ever stop the movie dead or feel unnatural. Here’s the ones I spotted. (Very Minor Spoilers)
1. A theater is destroyed during a Tornado
2. Kate wears both of Helen Hunts exact outfits from the original film.
3. Chickens instead of Cows but different context.
4. During a home-cooked meal someone tells a story of a main character going out in a storm naked.
5. “Nice to have you back” “I’m not back”
6. They still use Dorothy from the first film.
7. This isn’t specific to just the first film, but both make Wizard of Oz references for obvious reasons but at one point a character says something about having Brains just as some straw blows right into his face. I absolutely Loved that.
I’m sure there are more references and call backs that I missed. I’ll have to see if I can spot more while I’m being tossed around in my 4DX viewing.

CONCLUSION
Quite Honestly Twisters Day with the family went as good as I could’ve hoped. Good Food, Good Movies, Good Company, Great Day! I highly Recommend Twisters. See it on the biggest loudest screen possible. And if you have special group of folks to join in I recommend the full Twisters Day experience. It’s a Blast, and that is your Quarters Worth!