This blog is for writers who want to improve their craft and readers who love all things book-related....so I thought it would be appropriate to include one of my recent movie reviews here!
by Trina Boice
Movie: Goosebumps
Rating: PG, 1 hour 43 minutes
Grade: A
In a Nutshell: If
you grew up reading R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books or were a parent who read them to your
kids like I did, you’re going to get a kick out of this homage to comedy horror
stories and the author who gave them to us.
Sony Pictures Animation does a great job at blending reality with
fantasy, mixed with sarcasm and romance. Thanks for releasing it in time
for Halloween! “It gives me…oh what’s
the word…goosebumps.”
Uplifting Theme:
·
“It’s time to face your demons…” – R.L. Stine
·
Connecting with real people.
Things I liked:
·
As an author, I love how the ink literally comes
to life off the pages of the book.
·
I love how Slappy actually looks like Jack
Black/R.L. Stine.
·
You gotta admire the way the real R.L. Stine is
bringing new life and sales back to his books!
Brilliant!
·
Good for Amy Ryan for starring in 2 movies in
theaters at the same time! (
Bridge of Spies
) I’ve always adored her ever since
I first saw her do a Yoda impression on
The Office: Season 5
.
·
See if you can spot the real R.L. Stine in his
cameo at the school. This is what he
looks like in real life:
Things I didn’t like:
·
It was a little bit scawy…
- It would have been fun to see more of the other characters R.L. Stine created in the movie.
- Jack Black didn't have a mole on his forehead like the real R.L. Stine does.
Funny lines:
·
“Dude, we should call the cops!” – Champ
“Have you met the cops in this town?” –
Zach
·
“Is that your scream?” – Zach
“Don’t judge me.” – Champ
·
“What is that?” - Aunt
Lorraine (played by Jillian Bell)
“I rub myself in cilantro every morning.” –
R.L. Stine
·
“I don’t remember writing about a giant preying
mantis! (it then spews s sticky ick
from its mouth) “Right, now I remember.”
– R.L. Stine
·
“Let’s split up!” - R.L.
“No!
Haven’t you read any of your books?
We’re never supposed to split up!”
- Champ
·
“Look at this kitchen!” – Gale
“We don’t cook.” – Zach
“Well, look at all this counter space to
put take-out on!” – Gale
·
“I’m going to get a start on decorating my room…knock
it off my Bucket List.” – Zach
·
“I know I speak for the entire administration
when I say how excited we are about this weekend’s dance. We can’t
stop twerking about it.” – Gale
·
“Shut your mouth!” – Cop
“Ok, but that’s not going to help.” - Slappy
(the ventriloquist dummy)
Things you learn
about writing from R.L. Stine:
·
“Every story ever told can be broken down into 3
distinct parts: the beginning, the middle, and the twist.”
·
R.L. Stine wrote”THE GHOST NEXT DOOR book. I guess he wrote about it twice. Think about it.
·
“The night was cold. Cold was the night.” Word order is powerful.
·
“No, it doesn’t work unless it’s a real R.L.
story with twists, turns and frights…and personal growth for the main
character.”
·
Champ asks R.L. “Why did you have to come up
with something so freaky?” The author
simply replies “I just have a knack for it.”
In other words, write what you know.
·
“Steve King wishes he could be me! I sell way more books than him, but no one
ever talks about that.”
·
“Why couldn’t you have written stories about
rainbows and unicorns?” - Champ
“Because that doesn’t sell 400 million copies.” R.L. Stine
“Domestic?” – Champ
“No, international, but it’s still a very
impressive number. Shut up!” R.L. Stine
·
“That typewriter is special. It has a soul of its own.” – R.L.
Tips for Parents:
·
Some of the monsters can be pretty scary. There are plenty of creepy things too, like
clowns, ghouls/zombies, drooling werewolf with frightening teeth and claws, evil garden gnomes, dolls, bugs, aliens, etc. R.L. Stine said in a recent interview with Plugged In that he didn't want to traumatize children who see the film, so you won't see any blood.
·
Explosions, violence, suspenseful chase scenes.
- Topics addressed include evil, revenge, and love.
Can't get enough of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps? Check these out!
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