Chris Walas

[8] As unnecessary sequels go, The Fly II is far, far better than it has any right to be. I think the fact that Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont co-wrote the screenplay has something to do with it. The film is more of a standard monster movie than Cronenberg’s 1986 version, especially after the mid-point, where director Chris Walas (who won an Oscar for effects …

[8] After tackling fantasy in The Neverending Story, director Wolfgang Petersen turned to science-fiction in this intimate tale of opposing fighter pilots who crash-land on a dangerous planet together. Dennis Quaid plays the human, and Louis Gossett Jr plays the alien, unrecognizable under Chris Walas’ incredible prosthetic makeup. The screenplay wisely spends the first two-thirds of the movie building a bond between the characters, taking …

[3] I want to be nice to this movie because so many of my friends adore it. But I’ve pondered this review for over a month and can’t put it off any longer. I don’t like this movie. Like, at all. I’m not even sure how to review the damned thing. Did I enjoy watching it? No.  Do I appreciate it? Parts of it.  Peter …

[9] David Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly is still the most fowl and disgusting film I have ever seen. It just about makes me barf every time I see it, and I love that. Jeff Goldblum plays an inventor who creates teleportation pods. After he uses himself as a test subject, strange things start happening to old Jeffy. Course hairs grow out of a wound …

[10] Does it mean anything that Gremlins is my favorite Christmas movie?  Am I bad person because I eschew the sentimentality of It’s A Wonderful Life for the malevolent rampage of little green monsters? Actually, sentimentality plays a big part in my love for the film. With its corny premise and comic book violence, Joe Dante’s film is an unabashed homage to the low-budget horror …