“Scoob!” is a reasonably charming new take on the “Scooby-Doo” franchise. It interestingly opens up the door for a wider Hanna-Barbera universe of films (something that has been done on tv with Hanna-Barbera for decades). It’s also vastly superior to the dreadful live-action “Scooby-Doo” films from the earlier 2000s.

Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker “Transformers: The Movie”) and Shaggy (Will Forte “MacGruber”) leave the rest of Mystery Inc. after Simon Cowell suggests the gang move forward without them. The two best buddies soon find themselves teamingup with Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg “Ted”) and Dynomutt to battle Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs “Event Horizon”). The rest of Mystery Inc. desperately try to find Scooby and Shaggy as the mystery takes them across the world.

The voice acting for Scooby-Doo is fine as its Frank Welker doing the voice as usual but I was not very impressed with the voice acting for either Shaggy or Fred (Zac Efron “Dirty Grandpa”). Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne and Velma are all written well but Fred is really bland. The best characters though are Blue Falcon and Dick Dastardly. Captain Caveman (Tracy Morgan “Cop Out”) also appears. It’s great seeing all the characters together. Maybe we’ll see Top Cat in a sequel. I don’t get why Simon Cowell has to be here.

Some of the jokes are really funny (the one about Judge Judy is great). I loved all the little references to other Hanna-Barbera creations too. Some of the gags fall flat and some might be disappointed that the story does not really follow the convention of a “Scooby-Doo” episode or movie. The animation is actually fairly good. It’s not a great movie but I did enjoy “Scoob!” and I think both kids and adults will have some fun with it. I’m not the biggest “Scooby-Doo” fan but I was satisfied with what is on offer here.

“Schlock” is a spoof 50s monster films and ape movies that is also the first picture directed by John Landis (“Coming To America”, “Spies Like Us”). It’s definitely got some really funny moments but it has a very awkward style. Some of the time, the pay-off is not worth the long wait.

A small American town is terrorised by the ‘Banana Killer’, who turns out to be the ape creature Schlock (Landis). The incompetent police try to capture the monster to end his reign of terror. However, the creature keeps eluding them while he continues his bizarre interactions with human civilisation.

Landis not only directed the movie but also starred as Schlock. It’s pretty funny to imagine him directing this film while dressed in an ape costume. Schlock is actually pretty amusing and expressive at times. Credit for the costume has to go to Rick Baker, who has become one of the most famous make-up artists in Hollywood. Some of the other characters provide a few chuckles. One character that Schlock takes a particular shine to is a blind girl that initially mistakes him for a dog. Their initial interaction goes on for an uncomfortably long period of time. I get that it makes it funnier in some ways but it also comes across as tedious.

There are some genuinely funny moments in here such as when Schlock meets a journalist. However, you also have a part where they show an entire scene from the movie “The Blob”. There are some more subtle jokes such as when the movie poster at the cinema keeps changing and there are some great references to “2001: A Space Odyssey” (you can see the “See You Next Wednesday” gag repeated in many of Landis’ films). I definitely did not dislike this film but like Landis’ “Kentucky Fried Movie”, I thought it could have been a lot better.

“Scenes From A Mall” is one of the few films to star Woody Allen (“Manhattan”, “Annie Hall”) but without him directing it. Allen co-stars alongside Bette Midler (“Hocus Pocus”) and together, they help make “Scenes From A Mall” as intriguing and amazing to watch as some of Allen’s more famous films.

“Scenes From A Mall” isn’t really a comedy (just like many of Allen’s better pictures), it’s simply an honest and mesmerising presentation of reality as we meet the Fifers (Allen and Midler). The two are celebrating their 16th anniversary and decide to go to a shopping centre in Los Angeles. However, revelations about their relationship emerge and the two verbally duke it out.

Allen and Midler are incredibly good here. They’re believable and they do not feel like cut-outs intended for the screen. The problem with the film really comes with the side characters. There’s a dumb mime played by Bill Irwin (“Hot Shots”) as well as a group of rappers the film needlessly cuts to from time to time. What is the purpose of these side characters when you have such fantastic main ones? They are simply are distractions and we quite frankly don’t need any distraction from the great work by Allen and Midler as Nick and Deborah Fifer.

“Scenes From A Mall” is a real gem and I don’t get the criticism this film has received. If it weren’t for the use of pointless extra characters, this film might have acquired top marks, it’s that good. It’s everything that’s great about Allen’s films because it’s witty, it’s poignant, it’s romantic and it’s full of nervousness. Who could do without the nervousness? I enjoyed “Scenes From A Mall” and I think anybody looking to see a film with a brilliant script about the highs and lows of marriage, should definitely seek this one out.

“Horror Of Dracula” (also known as just “Dracula”) is a 1958 British movie that is the first in the long line of Hammer “Dracula” films. This is easily one of the better Hammer films that I’ve seen. It’s not my favourite version of “Dracula” but I respect it and enjoy it for what it is.

In this film, Jonathan Harker accepts a job at the castle of Dracula (Christopher Lee “The Wicker Man”, “The Man With The Golden Gun”). Harker intends to kill Dracula for he knows he is a ghoulish vampire. When Harker fails, Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing “Star Wars”, “Top Secret!”) becomes the only one with the knowledge and conviction that is capable of defeating the foul creature when it goes after Harker’s family.

While I do like the performance from Christopher Lee, I’m frequently disappointed at how little he speaks in the role. Other versions of the character would use their charisma to charm people with conversation. Sadly, Lee never really gets to do that because he so rarely speaks. Peter Cushing is great as Van Helsing. Lee and Cushing had previously worked on Hammer’s “The Curse Of Frankenstein” and would go onto to work together in many more horror pictures. The other characters are fine and I like the performance from Michael Gough (“Batman”).

“Horror Of Dracula” is an enjoyable interpretation of the story. It misses a lot of the elements that I liked in some of the other versions such as “Nosferatu”, the 1931 “Dracula” and 1992’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”. If you’ve seen other Hammer films, you probably know what to expect. Hammer brought the violence and there are some great effects here. I love the atmosphere and I really like the performances too. If you’re a vampire movie fan then you owe it to yourself to see the first of the Hammer “Dracula” pictures.

Béla Lugosi (“Dracula”, “White Zombie”) stars in the film serial “The Phantom Creeps”. This is your classic mad scientist material with one of the most fun robots ever featured on the big screen. Interestingly, the serial went on to inspire the famous opening text crawl effect in the “Star Wars” films.

Meet the maniacal Dr. Zorka (Lugosi), who has found a dangerous new element and uses it to create deadly new weapons that endanger the entire world. Both American agents and foreign spies are out to get their hands on Zorka’s inventions. The fate of the entire world is at stake if this technology is not controlled.

Lugosi is fantastic as always. I just absolutely love his performance as the crazy Dr. Zorka. He has an invisibility belt and the effects for when he turns invisible are actually pretty good. They’re not as good as “The Invisible Man” but still, I like them. The other characters are okay but it does get a little confusing to remember who is who as both the American agents and foreign spies are basically just guys in suits and hats. The killer robot looks absolutely hilarious. It’s up there with Ro-Man in “Robot Monster”. Apparently, Rob Zombie (“The Devil’s Rejects”) loved the robot from “Phantom Creeps” so much, he actually incorporates into his music performances.

“Phantom Creeps” is a wonderful film serial from Universal. This came out around the time they were doing all the great monster movies (many of which featured Lugosi). Surprisingly, we see real footage of the Hindenburg disaster incorporated in a somewhat distasteful manner. Some people may find watching an entire film serial a little daunting so there was a tv movie cut that is significantly shorter. If you like the “Frankenstein” movies of the 30s and 40s or some of the sci-fi movies of the 50s, you’ll probably enjoy this.

“Ju-On: The Curse” is actually the first of the “Ju-On” films. The franchise did not get a theatrical release until “Ju-On: The Grudge”. What we have here almost feels like a blueprint for what would become “Ju-On: The Grudge”. It’s certainly not bad but it just lacks the finesse of what would come later. Audiences outside of Asia are probably more familiar with the later American remake, “The Grudge” from 2004.

In “Ju-On: The Curse”, we get a series of sequences where unfortunate Japanese folks find themselves dealing with evil ghost creatures. The curse started at one home where a terrible crime was committed. Now, a creepy ghost woman and an equally creepy ghost boy haunt the living. Like the other “Ju-On” films (and the later American remakes), the plot is really just minimal.

You could pretty much copy and paste what I said about “Ju-On: The Grudge” when it comes to the characters. We have a variety of different people that are pretty much just there to be terrorised by the evil spirits. Nobody is seriously watching these movies for the human characters. The ghosts are kind of creepy but I think they refined them in the later movies.

“Ju-On: The Curse” is not bad and in some ways, it’s very low-budget look helps give it a more organic horror feel than the more polished sequels and remakes. However, a lot of it just is not that engaging. I think the filmmakers got better with “Ju-On: The Grudge” and the 2004 “The Grudge” when it comes to the scares. This first one just isn’t able to create the same kind of intense situations that we really need. We need the intensity because we sure are not going to be particularly entertained by the living characters. If you are a big fan of the franchise then maybe you’ll get a kick out of seeing where it all began.

I think it’s fair to say that while a lot of the changes made for the special edition re-releases of the original “Star Wars” trilogy were unwanted, “Empire Strikes Back” got the best treatment. You could even argue that some of the changes were actually good.

The rebels are now on the backfoot when the Galactic Empire seemingly stronger than ever. After narrowly escaping an attack on the rebel base in Hoth, our heroes split up. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill “The Guyver”) heads to Dagobah to find the elusive Yoda to complete his jedi training. Meanwhile, Han Solo (Harrison Ford “Air Force One”) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher “Drop Dead Fred”) go to Cloud City to seek refuge but a bounty hunter is on their tail. Luke will be put to the ultimate test as he must choose between his training and his friends’ lives.

Like the original film, the characters and performance are still terrific. Luke, Han, Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones “The Lion King”), Yoda, Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams “Batman”) and the rest are as great as ever. Very little was actually changed in this one in terms of the characters. There are not lots of new C.G.I. creatures are anything like that. We get some more footage of the wampa on Hoth, which is good. One minor issue, Luke now screams when he falls but they use the Emperor’s scream from “Return of the Jedi” and it just sounds weird.

Many people debate whether or not “Empire Strikes Back” is the best of the original “Star Wars” trilogy but what is certainly true is that it got the best special edition. Some of the positive changes here include the new sequence that shows more of Cloud City. While I would always recommend looking for the original versions, there is not much that is wrong with this one.

“The Wizard Of Oz 3: Dorothy Goes To Hell” is a ridiculous fan film spoof of “The Wizard Of Oz” films. It’s an animated picture that feels like a combination of “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” and “South Park”. It would probably offend most people with its extreme humour but I actually found it to be really funny for what is just a small project. The film was directed by James Rolfe, who you may know better as the ‘Angry Video Game Nerd’.

Dorothy returns to Oz again as she teams up with all her old friends. This time, she must defeat Satan, who has taken control of Oz and is threatening to seize her world too.

A lot of the characters have image of the face of the original actor and actress with an animated body, which is something “South Park” used to do a lot. I really had to laugh at the fact they gave the Tin Man the face of Data from “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. If you like the original version of “Star Trek”, you’ll also get a kick out of how they use William Shatner’s face. You may recognise a few characters here that would also appear in episodes of “Angry Video Game Nerd”. The voice acting here is as juvenile as you can get.

“Dorothy Goes To Hell” works as a low-budget spoof of a beloved classic and its innovative sequel. It doesn’t last long and it certainly never gets boring. It’s got some great comedic use of music from “Star Wars” too. Just please be aware that this is definitely not for children as there is a lot of bad language, nudity and gory violence. “Return To Oz” felt like a real departure from the original but “Dorothy Goes To Hell” is on a whole new level.

“Scary Movie” is sick, vulgar, offensive and unfunny. It is meant to be a spoof of slasher movies but as far as the spoofing goes, it picks the wrong movie for its main point of reference. It unwisely chooses “Scream”, which itself is a parody of slasher movies. What’s next “Sci-Fi Movie” with a heavy emphasis on “Spaceballs”?

In “Scary Movie”, someone is going around and killing off a whole bunch of teenagers. Other than that, the plot is just non-existent. It is just a bunch of awful gags about drugs, homosexuality, bodily fluids, abuse, sex, violence, movies and race.

The film was directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans so some of the other Wayans family join in as we see Marlon and Shawn Wayans. This is the family that brought people many other unsuccessful comedies such as “White Chicks” and “Little Man”. It’s a shame too because there was a time when they were funny. The killer in the film is the closest thing we have to a funny character here as the various parts where his mask changes when he’s abusing drugs are by far the most amusing part of the film. This is proof of just how bad this picture is. The other people in the film are poor but then again, with this quality of material, you couldn’t get anybody to be good.

The film might be tolerable if it just stuck to making fun of horror films but instead, we get so many terrible and distasteful jokes that we cannot possibly find this funny. This is the movie that single-handedly ruined spoof movies because after this, many others found they could make the same film without having to put any effort into whatsoever. “Scary Movie” is somehow grosser and less funny than movies like “Joe Dirt” and “Paul”.

“Murders In The Rue Morgue” is overlooked Universal horror movie from the early 1930s. It stars Béla Lugosi, who had just done the excellent “Dracula” the year before. “Murders In The Rue Morgue” is based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe, who was also the inspiration for other Universal horror movies such as “The Raven”.

Set in 19th century Paris, Dr. Mirakle (Lugosi) is runs an exhibition at a carnival. There he shows the world his prized ape. However, Mirakle is an insane scientist that wants to mingle human blood with that of an ape and will kidnap young women for his sick experiments. Now, he is out to kidnap the lovely Camille (Sidney Fox “Midnight”).

Lugosi is great as always. Whether it’s here, “Dracula”, “The Raven” or “White Zombie”, he’s just splendid in a villainous role. The other characters are okay but not too memorable. In all fairness, the mad scientist in the old Universal horror films is usually the most captivating. I mean, just look at “The Invisible Man”. Sometimes, the ape is a real ape yet in many shots, it’s clearly a man in a suit. The two look nothing alike so it can be unintentionally funny to see the film cut between the two.

“Murders In The Rue Morgue” may not be one of the absolute best Universal horror movies but I enjoyed this one a lot. It’s got a very interesting visual style that reminded me a lot of the German horror film “The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari”. The two films also share some plot elements. If you are a fan of Lugosi and have not seen this one, it’s definitely worth checking out. If you like killer ape movies, this is also good and it’s infinitely better than the infamous “Béla Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla”. That being said, just don’t expect anything on par with “King Kong”.