Movies from that "Worst Weekend of the Year"

They say that Labor Day weekend is generally the worst weekend for movies of the year, i.e. worst for the box-office, which is all that matters to some people. I could tell you that seeing Rob Zombie's re-worked "Halloween" and James Wan's "Death Sentence" made for a great weekend.

Well, not exactly. Zombie's effort...is well, messy. It's not that it is so God-awful that you want to laugh at it or have it made nearly enjoyable from the sheer inanity. Nor is it good to the point where you aren't constantly referring to the original from 30 years ago. But honestly, with how good the original was, did you ever think that would happen? Didn't think so. The backstory, for the first 40 minutes or so, is the best part. The performances are believable enough, as long as Deag Faerch keeps his mouth shut trying to play the young Michael Myers. And Zombie's wife actually does an admirable job of playing mom. But its far from anything to rave about and because it takes up so much time, you are left with trying to tidy everything up in an hour. I assure you this is not Zombie's specialty. It's predictable and by-the-numbers, going for gore as opposed to suspense. Remember how much blood you actually saw in the original. Yep, pretty close to zip. Grade: C

As for James Wan's "Death Sentence", I can't really use the word enjoy when describing it. And its not that its cause its an awful movie. It's just difficult. And brutal. Pretty much what you would expect for the man behind the lens of the Saw series. I've read some things that a couple people have written about it (that haven't seen it)...always makes me laugh. And yes, it is fantastical and a bit over-the-top. But in the end I keep coming back to the question of how would I respond if my child was killed in front of me? Anyone who simply passes it off as "I would just let God handle it and try to move on" I think is being a bit naive. Would I go out and start what is basically a war with a gang. Probably not. But would I want revenge? I can't lie and say no. And neither should you. Grade: B-