SHAFT (2019)

Directed By: Tim Story 
Written By: Kenya Barris & Alex Barnow 
Based Upon the character John Shaft from the novel by: Ernest Tidyman 
Cinematography: Larry Blanford 
Editor: Peter S. Elliot 

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Jesse T. Usher, Regina Hall, Alexandra Shipp, Richard Roundtree, Avan Jogia, Luna Lauren Velez, Issach De Bankole, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Matt Lauria, Tashiana Washington 

JJ Shaft, a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, enlists his family's help to uncover the truth behind his best friend's untimely death.

SCARY MOVIE (2000)

Directed By: Keenan Ivory Wayans 
Written By: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Phil Beauman, Buddy Johnson, Aaron Seltzer & Jason Friedberg 
Cinematography By: Francis Kenny 
Editor: Mark Helfrich 


Cast: Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Jon Abrahams, Shannon Elizabeth, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, David L. Lander, Dave Sheridan, Carmen Electra, Rick Ducommun, Kurt Fuller, Kelly Coffield, Marisa Jaret Winokur 


A group of teenagers including Cindy Campbell and Bobby Prinze, accidentally hit a man when driving, and dispose of the body, but now they are being stalked by a very recognizable masked killer. The victim count increases, whilst Cindy must survive the carnage that has she has seen in so many films before.

BARBERSHOP: THE NEXT CUT (2016)

Directed By: Malcolm D. Lee 
Written By: Kenya Barris & Tracy Oliver 
Based on Characters Created By: Mark Brown 
Cinematography By: Greg Gardiner 
Editor: Paul Millspaugh 


Cast: Ice Cube, Common, Cedric The Entertainer, Deon Cole, Regina Hall, Eve, Anthony Anderson, J.B. Smoove, Nicki Minaj, Troy Garity, Lamorne Morris, Sean Patrick Thomas, Jazsmin Lewis, Tyga, Margot Bingham, Utkarsh Ambudkar

PEOPLE PLACES THINGS (2015)

Written & Directed By: James C. Strouse 
Cinematography By: Chris Teague 
Editor: Colleen Sharp Cast: Jemaine Clement, Jessica Williams, Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, Michael Chernus

SCARY MOVIE 2 (2001)

Directed By: Keenan Ivory Wayans 
Written By: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans & Craig Wayans, Alyson Fouse, Greg Grabinski, Dave Folsky, Michael Anthony Snowden 
Based on Characters Created By: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beaumn, Aaron Seltzer & Jason Friedberg 
Cinematography By: Steven Bernstein Editor: Tom Nordberg, Richard Pearson & Peter Teschner 

Cast: Anna Faris, Christopher Masterson, Chris Elliott, Regina Hall, David Cross, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Tori Spelling, Kathleen Robertson, James Woods, Natasha Lyonne, Richard Moll, James DeBello, Andy Richter, Veronica Cartwright, Robert Schimmel, Tim Curry

MALIBU'S MOST WANTED (2003)

Directed By: John Whitesell Written By: Fax Bahr, Jamie Kennedy, Nick Swardson & Adam Small Cinematography By: Mark Irwin Editor: Cara Silverman Cast: Jamie Kennedy, Taye Diggs, Anthony Anderson, Damien Dante Wayans, Regina Hall, Blair Underwood, Ryan O’Neal, Bo Derek, Jeffrey Tambor, Kal Penn, Nick Swardson, Greg Grenberg, Snoop Dogg, Niecy Nash, Terry Crews, Sarah Thompson, Mike Epss, Troy Kittles

SCARY MOVIE (2000)

Cast: Anna Faris, Jon Abrahms, Lochlyn Munro, Shannon Elizabeth, Regina Hall, Carmen Electra, Dave Sheridan, David L. Lander, Kelly Coffield, Kurt Fuller, Marissa Janet Winokur, Cheri Oteri, Keenan Ivory Wayans,

Directed By: Kennan Ivory Wayans
Written By: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer
Cinematography By: Francis Kenny
Editor: Mark Helfrich

This film is actually pretty good that is not so much funny as it is shocking. It goes way over the top at times and still manages to hit all the right buttons to be a successful spoof.

It’s interesting that dimension films released this film with what was supposed to be the intended title of the movie SCREAM. Which this film mostly spoofs on. The film is actually based on two separate scripts that were combined to make this one feature film.

I saw this movie at least three times in theaters and while it doesn’t reach the heights of I’M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA. But is still marginally funyin it’s own way and passing the torch to the next generation of the wayans brothers. I won’t lie the film does go over the line many times to the point of being disgusting. But it doesn’t disappoint. It was a film that came out at the right time. On the heels of the movies it was spoofing instead of what a lot of spoof films these days do either combining a year’s worth of pop culture, trends and spoofs into one film with a rather thin storyline that makes no sense. Or they wait until years after the subject is not relevant anymore so that the film is ill timed and beating a dead horse. The film is generally funny at least. That actually manages to surpise me towards the end of the film.

The film still relies on the plot of a killer going around killing high school students and is somehow linked to the lead Cindy Campbell as more and more of her friends are murdered.

This is the first film of Anna Faris in a lead role and gives a glimse of the comedic talent she had. Not too much of the rest of the cast went onto bigger and better. It also marks the first use of a Keenan Ivory Wayans staple Actor Loclyn Monroe.

One of the bigger problems of the film other then the film occasionally being disgusting is that somehow keenan ivory wayans makes things such as backgrounds and production values look either cheap or just plain old bad.

Now I know this film may have been bad mouthed or doesn’t have a lot of things going for it viewed more as toilet humor then generally smart comedy. That maybe true but it is a lot better then some give it credit for and at least has a original feeling in it’s concoction. Plus I enjoy it over some spoofs which are celebrated as original or noteworthy. It is a film I can look back on and watch at anytime. I still like it either way.

I feel it is a worthy addition to any film library


GRADE: B-

SCARY MOVIE 2 (2001)

CAST: Anna Faris, Shawn Wayans, Regina Hall, Marlon Wayans, Chris Elliot, David Cross, Richard Moll, Tori Spelling, Christopher Masterson, Natasha Lyonne, James Woods, Tim Curry, Andy Richter, James DeBello, Kathleen Robertson, Veronica Cartwright, Beetlejuice

Directed By: Keenan Ivory Wayans
Written By: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Alyson Fouse, Dave Polsky, Craig Wayans, Michael Anthony Snowden, Greg Grabianski
Based On Characters By: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer, Phil Beauman
Cinematography By: Steven Bernstein
Editor: Tom Nordberg, Richard Pearson & Peter Teschner

To say this film was a disappointment would be a understatement now I didn’t love the first scary movie but I liked it and enjoyed it. Despite a few reservations and this film unfortunately this film doesn’t even come close to the quality of the original. It feels like a movie just based on squeezing some more dollars out of a franchise. I mean it has 7 writers which is never a good sign. That many cooks working on the same dish. I would bother telling you the storyline but as it seems non existent and the film doesn’t follow it. It would be a waste of time.

The main problem with recent spoof films and this one in particular is to stay on subject and still have a main plot. This film brings jokes about the subject it is spoofing but it has no real main storyline it starts off with one then seems to forget it and seems too busy with the jokes and spoofing more modern day people and events then actual scary movies which is also the problem with comedies like MADTV and the wayans own IN LIVING COLOR while both are legendary and hilarious they won’t age gracefully as all of there comedy are based on modern celebrities and events that 10 – 20 years from now audiences will be scratching there heads to understand the jokes or if they weren’t around when the film was made will be wondering who they are talking about.

Tori spelling is in this movie and was supposed to be a small comeback but I wonder if it was just stunt casting because she barely makes a mark in a role almost any actress could have played. Most of the cast reprises there roles from the first film even the ones who were killed return with hardly any explination. The bad thing about this movie is with all the talent involved it should have been funny or at least funnier but it’s not. There is a chuckle here and there but as a whole I can’t say it is successfully funny the jokes just seem stale.

I also had one of many bad experiences seeing this film in a theater I had some woman sit next to me who i didn’t know and our seats while separate were connected together and all through the movie she laughed loudly at everything even things I thought were funny I would start to laugh and then so would she so hard that she drained whatever I found funny about it out. So that I would pray no more jokes would come to make her almost have a coronary. I have since seen the film at home and still have the same opinion of it that I had that day.

The opening sketch was supposed to have Marlon Brando in a way spoof the exorcist but when he got to sick to do the role he was replaced by James Woods now if Brando would have done it. He is the only thing that would have made this movie noteworthy. This was also the last semi decent Scary Movie Sequel all after this one are horrible.

Bottom line if you liked the first one you will probably like this one.

GRADE: D