Let me start by saying this film, "Manhunter", is a fairly good adaptation of the book. Brian Cox portrays a mellower Hannibal Lecktor (as spelled in the ending credits, if I recall correctly). His performance is good, energetic, and he has the perfect face for an antagonist. His evil, however, does not show that much in this film, therefore he is not that scary, in my opinion. Obviously, he's killed people, and obviously his insanity comes back to haunt the semi-retired detective Will Graham, but I don't have any recollection of explanation about Hannibal's cannibalistic murders. Since we don't know much about the character, he is less scary, regardless of Brian Cox's good performance. Don't get me wrong; Hannibal is still really awesome in this movie! Will Graham, I thought, was portrayed well. He's haunted by his past with Dr. Lecktor, and now, working on this case again, he is disturbed because he must dig deep within the mind of the serial killer who is on the loose in order to figure out the mystery. The main problem that sticks out in this movie is the serial killer, Francis Dolarhyde, the Red Dragon. He is played well, but we don't have a real sense of his psyche. There isn't much explanation as to why he is brutally murdering people. And, his admiration of the Red Dragon painting is only mentioned about once or twice throughout the movie. Aside from these flaws, "Manhunter" is a well-made film, with some creepy images, and it is delightful entertainment. It's a strange, different thriller, that depends on implied violence rather than graphic violence. The problem with this is that we don't always get a full look into the horror of the story. Still, I'd recommend it, because it's fun to watch and see some of the little differences between this and the superior 2002 version "Red Dragon". Both are creepy and entertaining films.

This is the terrifying sequel to "Roses Are Red", the Mastermind continues to torment Alex, and some new serial killers are introduced. The killers are vampires (not the kind that turn into bats, just crazy men who suck their victims' blood). It comes pretty close to horror-novel territory. This may come as a disappointed surprise to those Patterson fans who want to stick with the more believable villains, but, in my opinion, it was very intriguing to read about the vampires. After figuring out who the Mastermind is, Alex is horrified. The Mastermind is probably the most interesting and one of the most sadistic of the villains in Alex Cross novels, and I hope that he makes lots more appearances in the future. This book is very good. Not quite "Roses Are Red", but still a very interesting and incredibly scary read.

"Kiss the Girls" is written by the master of modern suspense novels, James Patterson. Alex Cross is a wonderful protagonist, a man of honor, and a down-right likable guy. In this book, he faces one of the most horrifying villains ever: a man who calls himself the "Casanova". The Casanova is a human monster, preying upon brilliant, beautiful, haughty college girls. After he kidnapps a girl, he brings her to his terrifying cave, filled with other women held captive. The graphic violence that occurs in this cave, especially the snake scene (which I strongly precaution fragile readers not to read), makes this novel pretty close to being categorized as horror, in my opinion. The Casanova is "twinning" with his sinister partner in crime, the "Gentleman Caller", a man who uses insane brutality on his women victims. The way James Patterson tells the story is like a fine work of art, the words blending so magnificently together to form a masterpiece among modern psychological thrilles. But, be precautioned, this book is quite disturbing, especially to parents who fear for their children. This book also teaches a good lesson about the power of karate.

Let me start by saying "Silence of the Lambs" was a masterpiece in the psychological thriller/horror movie genre. The acting, along with the directional style, and the disturbing storyline and insane villains, made it one of the most compelling horror films to date. It's difficult to live up to the standards set in "Silence", and "Hannibal" proves that sequels can often become catastrophic. The film has a fairly good basic plot: Doctor Hannibal Lecter's frightening return. But, other plot elements (a crazy guy trying to feed Hannibal to wild bores) complicate the film. Julianne Moore is a good actress, but for me, Jodie Foster will always be Clarice Starling. As for Anthony Hopkins, his talent is undeniable, in my opinion. The Italian setting fits the character of Hannibal perfectly. But, the horror-movie grossness goes slightly over-the-top. All in all, a fairly good horror film, but not nearly as good as "Silence of the Lambs" or the Hannibal film that came out recently called "Red Dragon".

"Scream" should definately not be considered merely another "slasher" movie. It's very clever. I think it is a smart mix of horror, suspense, and black humor. It's smart the way the characters in the film refer to past horror movies, such as "Halloween", "Psycho", and "The Silence of the Lambs". Good twist at the end. Great acting and scarily entertaining. "Scream" is a great movie to watch if you want a good scare. What I really liked about this film (besides the acting and down-right scary scenes) was the intelligent jokes aimed at horror-movie cliches, although some of them seem to be present in this film. This movie, however, does have a fairly large amount of blood, and should not be viewed by younger children. More for teens and adults (who don't have TOO weak a stomach)

"Halloween" accomplished a few great things-1. It payed homage to Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece "Pyscho" 2. It was probably a box-office hit 3. It had some effective acting 4. It was incredibly scary 5. The score sets a perfect essence of murder and eerie scares on Halloween night. 6. There isn't a gratuitous amount of blood (not much blood at all, if I recall correctly). These are all marvelous qualities in a film. Those are some reasons I'm tempted to give this film 4 stars. But, there are some problems that make the movie less intelligent and therefore less enjoyable. One problem I had with the film was there were too many questions unanswered. For example, why does Myers wear a mask? Is it to hide some kind of hideous scar on his face? Is it because he felt he was never loved because he was unattractive? There is also no psychological reason why he killed his sister. And, the film doesn't tell us why he is so insane, what makes him tick? Why does he go on a murderous rampage on Halloween night? Why does he pick Janet Leigh's daughter to stalk? Is it because she's beautiful? Does he think he likes her? I like films where the villain is numerously almost killed, but he somehow keeps coming back for more, summoning almost superhuman strength. It's a nice touch to a horror film, but the shocks just weren't shocking enough in this film. Myers is stabbed so many times, but he keeps living. It's so predictable. If you even think Myers compares to other movie psychos like Norman Bates or Jack Torrance ("The Shining") or Annie Wilkes ("Misery") or Max Cady ("Cape Fear") or Hannibal Lecter, then you're, in my opinion, mistaken. That's just my own personal opinion though. Myers is just a crazy guy with a mask, nothing more. Because there is no real psychological detail about this madman, we can never understand why he is the way he is, what is going through his mind as he kills. All in all, a good horror film that delivers nightmarishly scary material, but in a flawed way.

Instead of making another ridiculous self-parody
like "Hannibal", this film recreates the enviornment of fear, suspense, and intelligence present in "Silence of the Lambs". "Red Dragon" begins with a brilliantly twisted scene that shows us how Hannibal Lecter was caught and sent to a mental institution. This film probably does not have as much Hannibal as "Silence", but the scenes with Hannibal are eerie, entertaining, and a little bit humorous. Hopkins does it again with his flawless acting and the other actors are superb also. Ralph Fienees creates one of the most terrifying psychopaths of cinema, Franchis Dolarhyde, THE RED DRAGON. Years after Hannibal Lecter is locked away, Dolarhyde kills two innocent families and violats the mothers (they don't actually show him doing so on screen). Will Graham, the retired-detective who caught Hannibal, has a special gift for getting inside the mind of the serial killer; figuring out what makes the killer tick. So, in order to save innocent families from being murdered in the future, Will returns to his detective work for one last case. Despite Will's fear of the Hannibal Lecter, he visits the cannoblistic psychiatrist in the mental institution for some insight. Dolarhyde, with a giant tattoo on his back of a dragon, is horrifically insane, but he is not just a monster. He has some feelings, and he's probably one of the most sympathetic villains, despite his horrible actions. Francis Dolarhyde was made insane through years of mental abuse from his crazy grandmother (seems a little bit like homage to "Psycho"). When Dolarhyde meets a blind woman whom he has feelings for, it is hard not to give into his murderous insanity. That is a key element in the film; will Dolarhyde go over the edge by killing his love? How does the blind woman make him more sensitive and human? How will Hannibal have his vengeance on the man who locked him away? These are all interesting details in the film, and add to its appeal. So, in a nut shell, terrific acting, horrificly monsterous scenes, a wonderfully eerie score, and sad but interesting details about the mind of a madman, make this one of the best psychological thrillers I have seen! I recommend it to fans of "The Silence of the Lambs".

"Fatal Attraction" is a great movie to watch if you enjoy suspensful, intense films about compulsive psychos that totally freak you out. It's a really fun movie to watch, but there is one major, major problem. The film is too much like "Play Misty For Me", a popular movie from 1971 about similar subjects (a man with a girlfriend sleeps with another woman who is actually a total psychotic who believes she "loves" him). This film even has a scene that is either homage to "Play Misty For Me" or down-right copying it (when Glenn Close slits her wrist). Correct me if I'm wrong, but Close DID cut her wrist in this film, right? And that same thing happened in "Play Misty For Me". Close's character is almost exactly the same as the woman psycho in the 71 film. There are just enough differences to make it a slightly different movie, and I believe it is pure entertainment to watch. Very suspenseful, very intense, great acting, and pretty darn scary. I think we all can learn a valuable lesson from this film about the consequences of infidelities.

"An Officer and a Gentleman" is a wonderful story about a man named Zack Mayo who zoins the navy, although his alcoholic father disagrees with his decision. Zack (played marvelously by Richard Gere) really doesn't care about anyone else but himself at first. He even gets into some unethical scheme at the navy. Sergeant Foley (flawlessly potrayed by Louis Gosset Jr.) can see right through Zack "Mayo-Naisse" and he endeavors to break Zack until he finally quits. Zack can't quit, he won't. Because of Foley's mind manipulations, Zack learns a little bit about being a better person. He also meets a good friend at the navy. And, he meets a girl walking past the naval camp whom he thinks is hot. The girl, Paula (played excellently by Debra Winger) sees Zack again at a party, and the two hook up. First, they like each other in a cute way, and a sex-related way, but the passion they feel for each other escalates into a meaningful relationship. The ending is uplifting and romantically brilliant! An ultimate fantasy of happiness and love. The musical score perfectly fits the mood, and the original song played during the ending credits, "Up Where We Belong", by Joe Cocker, is lovely. I highly recommend "An Officer and a Gentleman", a film that teaches about friendships, loss, perseverance, and love. "Way to go, Paula, way to go!!"

"Jaws" is a classic masterpiece about an ominous great white shark that attacks unsuspecting beach-goers at Amity Island. Chief Brody thinks it is wrong to keep the beach open while a shark is in the vecinity, but the mayor doesn't want to shut the beach down. Brody embarks on a journey with an experienced seaman and a shark expert to destroy the evil shark once and for all. This film is filled with suspense, action, and horror. Of course, it itsn't the scariest movie, since special effects are far superior nowadays, but it is still quite horrific hearing the terrified scream of the first victim in the dark, eerie night, or seeing the shark swimming towards Brody, ready for his next meal. The real nail-biter of the story is the suspenseful and haunting score. Spielberg is a marvelous director! I definately recommend this film for horror and suspense fans. The special features on the DVD are excellent too. I enjoy seeing the theatrical trailer and the making of "Jaws".