Film Review: SPOOKERS (2017)

There is a lot to be said for the people that run haunted houses and those that subject themselves to the terror every year.  That is at the heart of the documentary film Spookers (2017) which takes a personal look at the people that work at the New Zealand based haunt house Spookers.  Spookers now resides in a former mental hospital which adds to the spook factor of the facility but it is the haunters in which the heart of the place resides.

 

Through behind the scenes footage and interviews audiences get a candid look into the people who operate the facility and the haunters who have become a family of diverse people from all types of backgrounds.  You get the sense that everyone and anyone is welcomed into the Spookers family as they do more than just reside at the spook house but they interact with the community.

 

The film contains many personal stories of people finding a place where they aren’t judged and that they can be themselves or virtually anyone they want to be in a place that is completely accepting of everyone.

 

The film doesn’t really reveal much that hasn’t been showcased before in other similarly themed films about the people that run spook houses but this one presents some unique and personal stories as well as is one of the few that is located in a formed mental hospital.  This is a candid look at the world of spook house that does an amazing job presenting a complex and accepting community of diverse people.

Film Review: YUMMY (2019)

From Belgium comes the extreme zombie comedy Yummy (2019) and the way you look at plastic surgery will never be the same.  Alison (Maaike Neuville) and her mother are headed to an Eastern European hospital known for cheap plastic surgery.  Her boyfriend Michael (Bart Hollanders) is along for the ride to make sure of her safety.  It seems that Alison wants a breast reduction since she’s very self-conscious of her bosom and hates the look and stares that people have given her, her entire life.  Her mother, on the other hand is just going to have yet another little something fixed on her.

 

Immediately when the three reach the hospital, Michael is uneasy due to the shabbiness of the facility and the lack of professionalism and cleanliness as he dropped out of medical school but still knows what “should” happen.  While Alison is being prepped for surgery, Michael and a hospital worker just looking for a place to smoke up discover a secret lab where a patient is tied up.  Michael thinks the woman needs help and releases her but not before discovering that her entire mouth is missing.  

 

Unbeknownst to Michael, he has released a patient that had some secret skin grafting down to her that made her one of the undead.  As Michael tries to find Alison and get her to safety, the hospital is soon overrun by the undead.  Now Alison and Michael must find a way out of the hospital with a small group of other patients and doctors before the undead escape.

 

So, if you enjoy Peter Jackson’s Braindead or Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead 2 then this film is definitely for you.  It is an extreme gore filled comedy horror film with heart yet entertains and is anchored by two strong lead actors but also a huge supporting cast of “characters” that make a lot of the shenanigans seem fresh and original (even when sometimes they are not).  This is a great addition to the zombie films that came before it and I hope more people get to see this film as Belgium has a lot to offer the horror genre.

Film Review: BLOOD VESSEL (2019)

A group of survivors on a lifeboat think that they’ve found salvation on the open sea when a large ship comes into view at the beginning of Blood Vessel (2019).  The lifeboat is filled with a mixture of characters including the Captain Malone (Robert Taylor) who managed to help save as many as he could from his ship’s disaster.  When they come across a German boat they think it is salvation despite the fear that the Germans may kill them instead of holding them as prisoners of war during WWII.  But when they get on the deck of the ship they realize that ship is a ghost ship and there is no one around.

 

It’s not long before they discover a young girl hiding and a German soldier who would rather shoot the girl first and ask questions later.  The language barrios between everyone is also a problem and when some of their group are suddenly killed by the German who wants to kill the girl, the group discovers that there are more secrets to behold on the ship and that they have no idea what they have stepped into.

 

Soon, the group discovers too late that the German ship’s precision cargo were coffins containing sleeping vampires and that the girl is just one of their biggest problems.  Now the group must find a way off the ship before they all become victims of one of the greatest dangers they’ve ever faced separate from Hitler’s army.

 

Written by Jordan Prosser and Justin Dix (who also directors) the film borrows a lot from Death Ship (1980) and John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) while has the atmosphere of Virus (1999) and Ghost Ship (2002).  There are also some nods to Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the plight of the crew on the Demeter ship.  The film is extremely well made but borrows so much from other films that it’s hard to see if it has any original ideas of its own.  This is not necessarily a bad thing as it is quite entertaining and the horror aspects and gore are very effective so the film never comes off as boring.

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR - "Why I Love SHUDDER!"

“Why I Love SHUDDER!”

I’ve been reading a whole lot about people wanting to know whether or not the streaming service for horror fans Shudder is worth the monthly service fees.  There are those in the horror community that say Yes and those that say No, so for this “Rants & Ravings About Horror” I wanted to give everyone my opinion on the controversy.

 

I am the first to admit that there are too many streaming services out there and I only have access to Netflix and Amazon Prime because there are just too many of them out there.  Then COVID-19 and the quarantine happened and every streaming service was offering discounts and free months.  Shudder was cheap and didn’t have commercials (or multiple tears) and since I’m a horror fan I decided to go with that one.  I could’ve done Criteria Collection (which is the only other one that interest me) or Disney+ (the number one that didn’t interest me at all) or HBO Max, Hulu, Full Moon, etc. There are just too many streaming services to keep track nor even care about.

 

Shudder is geared towards horror fans!  Now in March when I first signed up there was a complete mixture of old school horror films verses lower end fare with a small selection of indie darlings.  They also had several podcasts and series.  One of the main reasons I wanted to sign up was the fact that they had the Wolf Creek series from Australia which was hard to find.  One of the real reasons I decided to go ahead with Shudder is the fact that they had several Lucio Fulci films especially the “Gates of Hells” trilogy which is not something you’re going to find on Hulu or Netflix.  If you look closer to their catalog they also had Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox to name a few of the more hardcore cult horror films, so even if they didn’t have a strong selection of recent Hollywood horror they knew what their main audience was craving for.

 

What I especially enjoyed in those first couple months were the podcasts as they had a nice curated selection which includes – Horror Noire Uncut, Video Palace, and The Narrow Caves, to name a few.  I was actually quite surprised at the quality.  Over the next few months during the lock-down, I got reacquainted with some old classics but also got to watch a lot of international and old classics that I had heard about but never had access to see like Boar , Darling, Hands of the Ripper, Deadly Games, Vampire Circus, and Blood Rage, to name a few.

 

Now catching up with old school and international horror films has its place especially since it allows Shudder to advertise when they acquire new and interesting little seen, cult, and international films, but soon I noticed that there were more films being added every month that were “Shudder Exclusives” which meant that they were now acquiring plenty of films that you couldn’t find anywhere else.  This is particularly important as it justifies continuing my subscription of the service.  Some of these films include Host, The Marshes, The Ranger, Bliss, Found Footage 3D, and Housewife, to name a few.

 

One of the next big draws to the service is their original series Creepshow (based on the original Stephen King and George A. Romero films) which they have thus far produced a first season in addition to two holiday specials.  An amazing show that I can’t wait for Season 2 to be unleashed!

 

Now, all of this is well and good but why should horror fans care?  There are so many other streaming services out there but what sets this one apart from the others?  The thing that I love about Shudder is the fact that it caters to the horror connoisseur.  That person that enjoys all types of horror films of all sub genres.  There are films for fans of the slasher to the giallo to the psychological thriller in addition to the fans of the extreme gory variety to those in which there is almost no gore at all.  If you like films from other countries you’re sure to find some gems - Italian, French, Danish, Canadian, Korean, and even Japanese, to name a few.  Shudder is a treasure trove of hard to find gems and over the last year since the lock down they’ve acquired an even more diverse slate of films while adding even more cult and infamous films.

 

If there is something I believe they need more of, it would be more animated films and more great podcasts (since no new ones has been added since I joined).  There are some great animated films that could be added such as Heavy Metal and Heavy Metal 2000, Lady Death, or any of the Dead Space and Resident Evil films.  More podcasts would be an excellent addition to their current list.  Shudder may not be the best horror streaming service out there (as it is the only one I’ve bothered to try out) but is grown a lot in the year since I’ve had it and the selection and diversity of programing just gets better and better.  It is definitely a service I would recommend to any horror fan.

 

Film Review: SPIRAL (2019)

Same-sex couple Malik and Aaron (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and Ari Cohen, respectfully) move into a new house out in the suburbs with their daughter Kayla (Jennifer LaPorte) in the film Spiral (2019).  They are looking for a place of peace and quiet to raise their family and Malik hopes to jump start his writing project.  It’s not long before Malik discovers that there is a shady part to the seemingly quiet neighborhood when he discovers that someone has broken into his house and painted racial slurs on their walls.  He is able to clean up the vandalism before his partner or daughter can see it but it prompts him to get a security system to the confusion of Aaron.

 

Soon Malik starts to discover other strange things going on especially in regards to his neighbor Marshal (Lochlyn Munro) who claims to be progressive in his thoughts about same-sex relationships but hides something deeper and darker.  When Malik starts discovering spiral patterns everywhere he soon comes to conclusion that Marshal and some of the other members of his neighborhood might be part of some cult.  Now he has to convince his partner of the danger before it is too late but the growing suspicion and paranoia may be too much for Aaron to understand.

 

The thing I love about this film is the fact that the relationships all seem authentic and how you would expect people to act in the situation.  It’s a mystery that also is a story about relationships and how paranoia can turn deadly and dangerous.  Written by Colin Minihan and John Poliquin and directed by Kurtis David Harder this is a very effective and suspenseful film even if it lacks the gore.

Film Review: WNUF HALLOWEEN SPECIAL (2013)

There is a lot to be said about the ‘80s and especially in regards to Halloween Specials on TV before the Internet, social media, and cell phones.  The average horror fan would huddle around this year’s Halloween Special and get their kicks while eating candy and drinking soda.  This is the atmosphere that the film WNUF Halloween Special (2013) which does it’s best to evoke that spirit through a VHS recording.  It seems that someone has found a long thought lost recording of the 1987 live broadcast of the WNUF Halloween Special.

 

While delivering the weather and other relevant news it seems that the big news of the night is the fact that WNUF is broadcasting a live broadcast of reporters, news crew,  a paranormal investigative husband and wife (a dead homage to Ed and Loraine Warren), and a priest, for good measure into a murder house while people stand outside and cheer and even more sit at home glued to the TV screen.

 

To add to the aesthetic are the commercials, news updates, and everything else you’d see during a regular program (although someone else fast-forwards through the commercials they don’t want to see while allowing us to watch others.

 

Anyone who grew up in the ‘80s with the VHS revolution and mixed cassette tapes will enjoy this film as it is one of the most authentic found footage films that have ever depicted this time period.  Although it may come off as slow to modern day audiences who grew up with cell phones, the internet, and social media, this is film that both fans of found footage and the ‘80s will find plenty to enjoy.

Film Review: THE SHED (2019)

Now, anyone who has read my reviews in the past know that I’m not a big fan of vampire films so I was really looking forward to the movie The Shed (2019) but I’m willing to give any movie a chance.  Written by Frank Sabatella (who also directs) and story by Jason Rice, The Shed tells the story of a vampire hunter Bane (Frank Whaley) who is turned into a vampire by his quarry just before the sun is coming up.  As a vampire he quickly takes shelter in a nearby shed becoming trapped in there until the sun goes down.

 

Unfortunately for him, Stan (Jay Jay Warren), a bullied hill school student on probation, discovers Bane in his shed and locks him in there.  When Bane kills Stan’s grandfather, Stan doesn’t know what to do since if he gets in any trouble with the law he may find himself in jail.  It’s not long before Stan’s best friend Dommer (Cody Kostro) discovers Stan’s secret but he would rather use the vampire against the people who bully them.

 

Stan finds himself just trying to keep it all together and sane but that doesn’t seem to go all that well when people that come to his house end up becoming victim of Bane who is trying to find his own way out of the shed.  When Stan almost kills Bane, Bane sees it as an act of war and he will not let Stan get away with the torture.

 

The most interesting aspect of the film is the way in which it treats bullying.  Stan is bullied at school while Dommer wants to use Bane against their oppressors but then Stan also becomes a bully towards Bane, whom was only turned into a vampire on accident while trying to kill a different vampire.  It’s a well written film with some strong performances throughout until the third act when the filmmakers decided that the third act needed one-liners for the actors to say.  Up till that point, the film had played it pretty straight forward.  Overall I really did enjoy the first two thirds of the film but felt that the last act suffered greatly.  This being said, the film is quite entertaining and extremely well done and Whaley makes for an interesting vampire.  It may not be a phenomenal revelation of vampire film but it is a decent time waster.

Film Review: PARTY HARD, DIE YOUNG (2018)

A group of graduates go to a Croatian island for the party of their lives until each of them start getting killed one by one by a masked killer in the slasher film Party Hard, Die Young (2018).  Julia (Elisabeth Wabitsch) and her friends have just graduated and decided to cut it all loose with a bunch of other graduates for a week long party that will define their lives moving forward.  Unfortunately on the first night on the island, while drunk and about to pass out Julia thinks that she saw her best friend abducted by a masked person.  While there is no evidence of her best friend being abducted, something is definitely wrong when a second member of her group suddenly dies.  It’s not long before Julia starts to think that someone is trying to kill the members of her class.

 

Julia soon discovers evidence that one of her classmates is behind the members but it isn’t long until everyone starts to believe that the murders has something to do with an incident that happened in their past and they need to discover who the murdered is before they all end up dead.

 

The film is like a sleeker version of I Still Know You Did Last Summer but not nearly as fun.  The film has some amazing cinematography but lacks anything new that would separate it from other slasher films.  The gore effects are also great and the film is a decent time waster but it isn’t anything that will set it above other slasher films with similar story elements.

Film Review: CONFESSIONAL (2019)

 

After two college students commit suicide on the same day, seven fellow students with ties to the two are forced to reveal their deep and dark secrets in a confessional booth in the thriller Confessional (2019) from director Brad T. Gottfred.  Someone is manipulating these seven college students with proof of blackmail to get them into a confessional booth surrounded by cameras and they are unable to escape.  Each person, now isolated, is forced to open up to a candid conversation about their two friends that killed themselves because their captor doesn’t believe that they committed suicide but that all seven of the captors had something to do with the “murders.”

 

The single location story lets up the completely ludicrous situation and set up but it looks good while doing it.  It seems that their captor is filming everything and also has incriminating evidence against each of them so if they don’t tell the truth they will face the consequences which can turn lethal.

 

The film itself can be seen as a modern take on the found footage tropes that have been established in films over the last couple decades but the captor gives a reason for filming the subjects and why the film itself exists.  Unfortunately, the concept wears itself thin very soon despite the many twists and turns in the script which is where the magic of editing comes into play.  As one character starts to get boring and less interesting it cuts between characters because there are definitely some stories that are more interesting than others.  The good thing is that the entire film does come together by the end with an interesting and surprising amount of revelations.

 

This being said, some audience members may tire of the film before they get to the end.  Written by Jennifer Wolfe a lot of millage is dragged out of the concept which would’ve been better serviced by a much shorter run time but if you’re not a fan of found footage films then this film will not change your mind about the genre.

Film Review: VEROTIKA (2019)

Rocker Glenn Danzig (of The Misfits and Danzing) takes his hand at directing with his anthology feature Verotika (2019) based on stories from his comic book.  I would like to say that there is something to be had in this mixed bag of sexually charged and gore filled film but that is not the case here.

 

Including the wraparound there are four stories that test the audiences’ endearment of bad acting, mediocre production values, and shoddy directing and writing that can’t be saved by much of anything (unless of course you happen to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol).

 

In “The Albino Spider of Dajette” Ashley Wisdom is Dajette, a woman with eye balls as nipples and has a co-depended relationship with an Albino human spider creature that comes alive when she is asleep to kill random people.  There isn’t much to the story and even the brief nudity can’t hide the fact that Wisdom was probably the wrong person to lead this film.  In “Change of Face” Rachel Alig is Mystery Girl a Phantom-like stripped who hides her face while killing people in her spare time.  Alig does a better job with her role but is hampered by a predictable story with little in the way of surprises or suspense.  In the third main story “Drukija Contessa of Blood,” Alice Tate is Drukija a countess who buys young virgins from the nearby towns to sacrifice and kill so that she can extend her own life.  Inspired by the Elizabeth Bathory story this is a period set story that shows a little more risk than the other stories but nevertheless is hampered by the same issues.

 

The surprise of the entire film comes from Kayden Kross who is Morella in the wrap around segments who actually makes for an entertaining host for the entire film.  She actually gives the best performance and looks as she know exactly the type of film that she has stepped into.

 

The biggest problem with the film is that with Danzig on board, you expect a much better film instead of something that looks like in was made with $1 and done in a garage.  There is plenty of nudity and gore on display in the film but the film offers little else other than that.

 

Film Review: LYLE (2014)

Stewart Thorndike writes and directs the film Lyle (2014) which is about a couple Leah and June (Gaby Hoffman and Ingrid Jungermann, respectfully) who move into a new building with their toddler Lyle (Eleanor Hopkins).  They are greeted by the building manager Karen (Rebecca Street) who also has a room in the same building.  When Leah reveals that she is pregnant with another daughter, Karen also reveals that she is pregnant which throws Leah off due to her age and the fact that she is single.

 

It’s not long before Leah starts to believe that Karen is lying about her pregnancy among other things and when the isolation from other friends and family causes her to become distracted her daughter Lyle dies in an accident.  The grief of losing her daughter causes Leah to become more paranoid of Karen and everything around her while her partner June sinks deeper into distractions.  Leah refuses to take meds for her grief and depression which may harm herself and her unborn baby.

 

What follows is a descent into paranoia for Leah and the audience as they try to discover whether or not Karen is bewitching her to steal her unborn child.

 

The film wears its influences of Rosemary’s Baby very thin but its direction is not as assured despite decent performances.  Unfortunately, the film will overall look like one of the many Rosemary’s Baby clones out there without bringing anything new to the story or genre.  With the exception of following a lesbian couple (very well played by Hoffman and Jungermann) the film lacks the suspense of a good horror film relying more on drama than anything else.  It is interesting to see Hoffman in a starring role but other than that the film is pretty forgettable.

Film Review: HACK-O-LANTERN (1988)

It’s Halloween and it’s the season for costume parties and playing pranks…and worshipping Satan in the film Hack-o-Lantern (1988).  Tommy (Gregory Scott Cummins) has been groomed by his Grandpa (Hy Pyke) in the ways of Satan ever since his father met an unfortunate early death during his childhood.  Tommy is now all grown up and this Halloween season, while his sister and younger brother prepare for the Halloween party, Tommy is getting his mind and body ready for the impending sacrifice that he must take part in so that he can become the Satanist he was born to be.  Unfortunately, when Tommy discovers his sister is to be his sacrifice he must make a chose a side and discover his true destiny.

 

I make the film out to be more interesting than it actually is.  The story is by Dave Eisenstark while the screenplay was written by Carla Robinson and the film was directed by Jag Mundhra .  The film itself is a pretty basic and by the numbers ‘80s slasher film that borrows very little from the Halloween horror traditions other than to take place on the actual day.

 

The film is a product the ‘80s video traditions and has aged horribly because of the poor cinematography and acting and the very few actual kills in the film which has made other ‘80s films cult classics.  This is a film that has been forgotten and for good reason with only the title being the curiosity for most horror fans who may have missed the film upon initial release.

 

A MONTH OF NON-FICTION FILMS

After a month of animation (November), I wanted December to be a little different so I decided to focus on non-fiction films and series.  Due to the fact that there were so many series that I wanted to catch up with I focused more on those than films.  I managed to get in a few films but there were so many series that I needed to watch and that seemed more compelling.

 

FILMS:

I actually only managed to view three films which included Born in Gaza (2014), American Factory (2019), and FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019).  Born in Gaza was a blind watch whereas American Factory I had heard a lot of great things about and was one that I missed from the previous year.  FYRE I watched due to a lot of my friends who had recommended it to me in addition to the fact that I knew a little about the topic of the film prior to seeing it.

All three were great films that were different from each other.  Born in Gaza was the story of children trying to survive a war torn Gaza which had some of them supporting their own families.  It was a harrowing look into survival.  On the other hand FYRE was a look into having too much money and excess in regards to the greatest party that never happened due to corruption, unrealistic goals, and other things.  Both films get into the reality of the situation with footage and candid conversations with the various subjects. 

American Factory on the other hand depicts cultural relations as it pertains to American and Chinese factory workers trying to find a common ground.  It takes a look into cultural and work habits as well as integration of ideas and efficiency. 

SERIES:

This is where I viewed the most content and I will separate this into two sections which will focus on docudramas and competitions because I consider both to be non-fiction but they are their own separate animals.

First up are the competition shows that I viewed which include – The Great British Baking Show (Season 11 of the regular show and Season 3 of Holidays spin-off), Sugar Rush Christmas (Season 2), Million Pound Menu (Season 1-2) and Floor is Lava (Season 1).  I love competition shows but as you can tell from this selection that I enjoy cooking shows.  I like to keep up to date on my regular shows but added Million Pound Menu this year which I enjoyed more than I was expecting.  British Baking Show is a brilliant show and unfortunately I’ve now seen pretty much everything that is available on Netflix.  I had heard a lot of great things about Floor is Lava which is why I took a chance on that one and I wasn’t disappointed; my only criticism is the fact that they change the format several times during their “Level 2” episodes as if they are experimenting with the format.

The second part of my series focuses on docudramas which are what most people would be thinking about in terms of non-fiction series.  My interests are huge in regards to the style and subject matter and this month’s viewing selection is no different.  What I managed to get through were Trial 4 (2020), Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer (2019), Challenger: The Final Flight (2020), and all three segments of the Surviving R.Kelly franchise [Original (2019), Impact (2019), and Part II: The Reckoning (2020)].  Although the Challenger series alludes to a crime having taken place in regards to the tragedy, all the other series are true crime series.  All were excellent!  There wasn’t a weak one of the bunch.  They each presented compelling and interesting stories over the course of many episodes.  Even Surviving R.Kelly, which is mostly talking heads, managed to craft some captivating personal stories.

Netflix is known for some amazing true crime series (although they had nothing to do with Surviving R.Kelly franchsie) of which those listed above are no exception.  I’ve actually started watching more of them over the last year due to the COVID lockdown.  Before this year I only watched a handful but I’ve now seen most of what is on Netflix as they have one of the largest selections of true crime series.

*****

Overall, December was a good month for catching up on some series although I wished I had spent more time on some films.  I also wished I had a broader interest in competition series as well.

A MONTH OF ANIMATION

 

Last November I spent the month catching up with the various animated films and series that had passed me by mostly due to there being so much content out there.  My original intension was to get through as many films that I had missed as I could but instead I actually got through a lot more series than I was expecting.

 

SERIES:

To start off, I took this month to, finally, get through season 2-3 of the original Beetlejuice: The Animated Series.  I didn’t actually watch a lot of this show when it was originally released but found myself purchasing the entire series on DVD.  I used this month to get through two of the series’ for seasons.  The best thing to come of this is the fact that it is now one of my son’s favorite animated shows.  Being an Ultraman fan I decided to watch the first season of the Netflix Ultraman series based on the current manga series.  It follows closely to the manga and overall is an excellent update to the character and series.

Next up I decided to catch up on Ghost in the Shell with the SAC_2045 series (also on Netflix) and the first three films in the ARISE collection (Border 1: Ghost Pain, Border 2: Ghost Whisper, and Border 3: Ghost Tears).  I enjoyed the SAC_2045 series but wasn’t a big fan of the ARISE series; I still have the final two films in the ARISE series to watch and previous animated series in the franchise but both contain some interesting ideas and concepts.

This brings up another manga and classic series that got a facelift which is the Cyborg 009: Call of Justice series from 2017 which is actually a really good update on the old series and manga.  The next show based on a popular manga I managed to get to is Parasyte: The Maxim which is one of my favorite manga and since the show follows the manga pretty closely I ended up loving this one as well.

On a different level are the animated series Dragon’s Dogma and Netflix’s Blood of Zeus both of which are violent and exceptionally good in their own right.  But my favorite series of the month happens to be Japan Sinks: 2020 but if you’re not in the mood for a series that gets increasingly bleak and somber before the final episode then this one is not for you.

FILMS:

Unfortunately, due to all the series that I watched I was unable to watch very many films but the ones I did manage to view are the following – Seoul Station (2016), Mirai (2018), Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Arthur Christmas (2011), and A Creepshow Animated Special (2020).  Of particular notice were A Creepshow Animated Special and Seoul Station which were the two horror films viewed despite some of the other series containing a lot more violence.  Creepshow was an interesting way to do a film during the COVID pandemic while Seoul Station adds tremendously to the Train to Busan franchise.

My favorite film ended up being Arthur Christmas despite my not being a big fan of Christmas films.  This was just an amazing film that I had been missing for far too long.

*****

I would have liked to have seen more animated films as my watch list continues to grow each year but I did manage to shorten my series list tremendously.  I think that when another animation month comes around I’ll focus on either series or films but not both.

Well, I hope this list provides you notice of new films to seek out.  I didn’t actually see anything that was truly horrible but I’ll let you be the real judge of that.