1. The Nightmare Before Christmas: This film has an odd balance between a lot of different holidays, creating a fun and creepy animated atmosphere for Tim Burton fans to enjoy!

2. Hocus Pocus:  As a really good Disney channel film, Hocus Pocus creeped the hell out of me as a child.  Yet I loved watching it every fall!

3. Casper:  It's not everyday that you see a ghost, let alone a friendly one.

4. The Babadook:  "If it's in a word, or it's in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook."  This film still haunts me today.

5. The Nightmare:  Sleep paralysis is awfully terrifying, but some of the re-enactments in this documentary also make it seem kind of funny.

6. It Follows:  A look back at an older genre through a creative new story that features some of the best conventions in 80s horror films.

7. Jaws: Da-Dum.....Da-Dum...Da-Dum-Da-Dum-Da-Dum-Da-Dum.  You are gonna need a bigger boat for this one!

8. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: If you like musicals, this is a great horror musical to enjoy on Halloween.

9. Final Destination:  These are hilariously gruesome movies that you can play in the background of any activity.  I highly recommend throwing it on the television if you are having a Halloween party!

And finally, the featured pick of the week:

10. Halloween:  You cannot go wrong with one of the greatest horror movies ever created.  Although it was released in 1978, it helped to set up the well-known 80s horror genre.  Plus, John Carpenter now tours as a musician, proving that he can sell-out venues because of his pop culture relevance 35+ years after the release of Halloween.  

October 17th
Eddie Applegate (b. 1935) - Easy A

October 18th
Anthony Addabbo (b. 1960) - All My Children

October 20th
David Bellini (b. 1972) - Un medico in famiglia
Kaneta Kimotsuki (b. 1935) - Trigun
Svetlana Penkina (b. 1951) - Beregite zhenshchin!

October 21st
Kevin Meaney (b. 1956) - Big
Clement Michu (b. 1936) - Commissaire Moulin

October 22nd
Gavin MacFadyen (b. 1940) - Battle for Korea
Mehar Mittal (b. 1935) - Walayati Babu

October 23rd
Mikijiro Hira (b. 1933) - The Face of Another
Nerses Hovhannisyan (b. 1938) - Strange Games
Jimmy Perry (b. 1923) - It Ain't Half Hot Mum

The Accountant accounts for the top box office film this week!

1. The Accountant - $24.7M

2. The Girl on the Train (2016) - $12.2M

3. Kevin Hart: What Now? - $11.7M

4. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - $8.9M

5. Deepwater Horizon - $6.4M

6. Storks - $5.6M

7. The Magnificent Seven (2016) - $5.2M

8. Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life - $4.3M

9. Sully - $2.8M

10. The Birth of a Nation - $2.7M

Image credit: By Gene Bromberg - benaffleck7-2-1, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5355808

I apologize in advance for all of the Harry Potter news you have been/will be hearing in the upcoming weeks.  Personally I am a Harry Potter fan, but not a hardcore fan that knows every single line of every single scene.  Still, this franchise was great to grow up with and filled me with joy every year that a new film came out.  I have read all of the books as well, remembering a time where a friend of mine ended up getting punched for revealing the ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  Starting off as a young adult series with a few oddities, the franchise became really dark at the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  This next film in the franchise was even darker, playing with dream sequences and character connections to steer Harry and his friends towards a bigger battle later to come.

At the very start of the film, the tone is completely different from the previous films.  Dark clouds surround the characters as dementors fly towards them.  Clearly, something has gone terribly wrong and the tension is building towards the ultimate ending.  As the first film for David Yates's (The Legend of Tarzan​) direction, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix masters the new tone, crafting a whole new adventure for the Hogwarts students.  The special effects add to the dark palette, only ceasing to shadow over the audience during holiday scenes.

As with all of the other Harry Potter films, there are some new and unique characters that are cast well for the film.  Evanna Lynch (G.B.F.​) adds a quirky character who later becomes extremely important in the franchise.  Just as in the books, we get a sense of the odd mentality that Luna Lovegood has.  Another great addition is Imelda Staunton (Chicken Run).  Her portrayal of Dolores Umbridge gives me chills every time.  Constantly correcting people, she is a villain that seems friendly on the surface but turns evil very quickly.  If that isn't creepy enough, she is apparently a crazy cat lady who collects plates of magical cats.  While these characters add uniqueness to this part of the franchise, they still come off as a bit cheesy.  This cheesiness helps the franchise to attract children's attention, while still darkening the tone for audiences that have matured over time.  I look forward to watching David Yates's expansion of the franchise with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!

The Bottom Line:  This Harry Potter film is dark and quirky, captivating audiences that are young and old.

Score: 7.5/10

Image credit: ​By Andy F, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14269682

1. Walls by Kings of Leon - Caleb Followill has used his unique voice to attract attention to his band of relatives.  Kings of Leon is composed of three brothers and their cousin.  The whole family is in sync, bringing more great hits after the chart-topping song, "Use Somebody".  It amazes me to look back at "Use Somebody", which came out in 2008.  Their new album displays the consistency that this band has had throughout their discography.  The instrumentals are a blend of rock guitars and pulsing drum beats, always pushing the music forward with a few short halts for solos.  Personally, I did not realize that this new album came out last Friday until today, and boy am I glad I found it!  Sure, they haven't had any hits as attractive as "Use Somebody", but they certainly have a following and never disappoint that following.
Notable Tracks: "Waste a Moment", "Around the World", "Find Me", "WALLS"

2. Summerland by Coleman Hell - Finally, we get a full album with "2 Heads" placed in the middle.  When I heard "2 Heads" last year, I was instantly intrigued by Coleman Hell.  He walks on a boundary between indie rock and electronic music, which is always a fun time.  The album starts off with an odd chain-gang pulse, dragging us into the album.  Then we are thrown straight into the style that got us interested in Coleman Hell in the first place.  Syncopated rhythms keep us guessing what might pop up next on the album.  The album is well-rounded with a lot of songs to dance to, but also creations for our imagination to focus on.
Notable Tracks: "Fireproof", "2 Heads", "Northern Soul"

3. Simple Forms by The Naked and Famous - The nostalgia hits me big time with this album.  To me, The Naked and Famous and CHVRCHES are two bands that are pushing forward with each new hit.  This much anticipated album got me so excited that I bought a ticket to their concert at The Neptune next week.  After the romantic break-up between Thom Powers and Alisa Xayalith, fans were kept in the dark for awhile about what would happen next.  The result ended up being unimaginably fantastic.  In the past, there has been an odd balance between Powers's vocals and Xayalith's vocals.  This new album gives us a seemingly equal split of the two voices, portraying both of their talents.  The lyrics are deep along with the synthesized instrumentals, granting us a peek into the reality of the band's inner-struggle.  It is not everyday that a band has a romantic break-up and then collaborates to create a spectacular album.
Notable Tracks: "Higher", "Backslide", "Laid Low", "Runners"

Image credits: 
By Wonker - originally posted to Flickr as Kings Of Leon, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12105032
​By Ed Thomas - c_Coleman_10, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49570969
​By kris krüg - https://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/5539789665, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49858746

October 10th
Tamme Hanken (b. 1960) - Der XXL-Ostfriese
Marnix Kappers (b. 1943) - Zonder Ernst
Kazunari Tanaka (b. 1967) - InuYasha
Gonzalo Vega (b. 1946) - The Noble Family

October 11th
Patricia Barry (b. 1922) - All My Children
Dick Israel (b. 1947) - Kung ako'y iiwan mo
Gurcharan Virk (b. 1968) - Sardari

October 12th
Thomas Mikal Ford (b. 1964) - Martin
John Vulich (b. 1961) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

October 13th
Andrzej Kopiczynski (b. 1934) - Czterdziestolatek
Tonino Valerii (b. 1934) - My Name Is Nobody

October 14th
Jean Alexander (b. 1926) - Coronation Street
Pierre Etaix (b. 1928) - Yoyo
Orival Pessini (b. 1944) - Balao Magico

October 16th
Ted V. Mikels (b. 1929) - The Astro-Zombies

It seems like only yesterday when BP got in big trouble for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  The explosion leaked millions of gallons of oil into the ocean, creating catastrophic environmental consequences that took months to clean up.  The spill showed the United States the consequences of messing with the environment and not using proper procedures in the process.  Coming off of his success with Lone Survivor, Peter Berg once again brings a true story to the big screen in epic proportions.  The effects are spectacularly realistic, bringing the audience straight into the story that shocked us in the news in 2010.

I think this might be my favorite movie featuring Mark Wahlberg (Ted, Lone Survivor) to date.  Wahlberg often takes on fratty roles that are easily replaceable, but this film clearly portrays the talent that got Wahlberg noticed in the film world.  Wahlberg takes on the role of Mike Williams, a true hero on the Deepwater Horizon.  The supporting cast also respectfully portrays their characters with differing roles in the events that unfolded on the oil rig.  Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight) seems to be making a comeback with his recent success.  As Jimmy Harrell, he plays a loveable mentor and safety-concerned BP employee.  Russell is the perfect mentor in cinema, having experience in so many different roles.  It is damn-near impossible to dislike Kurt Russell at this point in his career.

Deepwater Horizon not only features an incredible cast, it also features incredible technical effects ranging from the Steve Jablonsky (Transformers) score to the blood and gore that unfolds.  If you have a weak stomach, I do not recommend this film because of the realistic goriness.  However, it is important to see films like this one because we get a sense of just how crazy the event was.  If the effects were cheap and unbelievable, the film would be disrespectful to the true story.  At times, I teared up as I thought about what a disaster this was.  The movie is heavily emotional and brings us to the realization that maybe we cannot control the environment.  Maybe we need to respect the laws of nature a bit more than we currently are.

The Bottom Line:  This film respects the event and characters of the Deepwater Horizon spill, bringing an emotional retelling of one of the biggest disasters in U.S. history to the big screen.

Score: 9.6/10

I took a bit of time away from the blog this week so that I could recoup and get my thoughts back in order.  To me, it is important that you are always passionate about what you are doing.  Sometimes maintaining that passion requires some time to reflect.  Rest assured though, I am back and ready to write some more again.  Last week, I hinted towards my hype for Green Day's new album and it would only be right if I talked about it today.

Revolution Radio by Green Day - When I was younger, I used to board a yellow bus to a summer day camp every weekday morning with my walkman CD player.  Every day, I had the same three CDs which were The Eminem Show by Eminem, Youth by Matisyahu, and American Idiot by Green Day.  Since that time, I fell away from Green Day as their music became less attractive with too much angst and not enough of Jesus of Suburbia-esque tunes.  Finally, Green Day has once again made me proud of my childhood listening habits.  Revolution Radio brings us the punk-rock attitude that we are so accustomed to with Green Day through loud hits such as "Revolution Radio" and "Bang Bang".  However, the loud hits are accompanied by deep reflections in the hit songs, "Still Breathing" and "Ordinary World".  When I hear the bridge to "Still Breathing", my eyes start to tear up a bit as I think about the inner struggles that Billie Joe Armstrong recently discussed with multiple news sources.  If you listen to this whole album and just reflect, you get a picture of a band that has returned to its form after some harsh years of critic hate and internal conflict.  I am once again proud to proclaim that I am a Green Day fan!
Notable Tracks: "Bang Bang", "Still Breathing", "Youngblood", "Ordinary World"   

Image credit: ​By Lloyd Morgan, http://flickr.com/photos/lloydm/ - From http://www.greendayauthority.com/photos/37708/full/ — en:User:Coelacan has autolevelled and cropped the image using GIMP., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1837237

October 4th
Mario Almada (b. 1922) - Chido Guan, el tacos de oro

October 5th
Austin Kalish (b. 1921) - Family Affair
Brock Yates (b. 1933) - The Cannonball Run

October 7th
Ross Higgins (b. 1931) - Bullpitt!
Lyudmila Ivanova (b. 1933) - Office Romance
Martha Roth (b. 1932) - Distilling Love
Wolfgang Suschitzky (b. 1912) - Get Carter
Bill Warren (b. 1943) - Discovering 'Evil Dead'

October 8th
​Alina Maria Hernandez 
Giovanni Scognamillo (b. 1929) - Karanlik sular
Pierre Tchernia (b. 1928) - Monsieur Cinema

October 9th
​Andrzej Wajda (b. 1926) - Katyn