Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

RECENTLY VIEWED: HUBIE HALLOWEEN

In the heart of Salem, Massachusetts—where Halloween spirit runs as deep as the town’s spooky legends—lives Hubie Dubois, a man-child with a thermos full of gadgets and a heart full of good intentions. Played by Adam Sandler in one of his most eccentric roles to date, Hubie is the self-appointed guardian of Halloween, though the townspeople treat him more like a punchline than a protector.

Hubie Halloween is a film that doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is: a silly, slapstick comedy wrapped in orange and black. Directed by Steven Brill, the movie leans into the absurd with gusto. Sandler’s Hubie speaks in a mumbly voice reminiscent of his earlier characters, and the plot—if you can call it that—follows a series of strange disappearances on Halloween night that only Hubie seems to take seriously.

The film is packed with familiar faces from the Happy Madison universe. Kevin James plays a mullet-wearing cop, Julie Bowen is the sweet love interest who inexplicably adores Hubie, and Steve Buscemi and Rob Schneider bring their usual offbeat energy. There’s even a cameo from Shaquille O’Neal that’s as bizarre as it is hilarious.


What Hubie Halloween lacks in narrative depth, it makes up for in festive charm. The town is decked out in Halloween decor, the costumes are colorful and creative, and the soundtrack is filled with spooky-season staples. It’s a movie that feels like a Halloween party—chaotic, loud, and not particularly meaningful, but fun if you’re in the right mood.

That said, the humor is hit-or-miss. Much of it relies on juvenile gags—fart jokes, food fights, and people screaming in exaggerated terror. If you’re not a fan of Sandler’s brand of comedy, this movie won’t change your mind. But beneath the silliness, there’s a surprisingly sweet message about kindness, bullying, and the importance of being true to yourself, even when the world laughs at you.

Hubie Halloween isn’t a great film, but it’s not trying to be. It’s a seasonal treat—like candy corn or a plastic pumpkin full of cheap chocolate. You might not crave it year-round, but when October rolls around, it hits the spot...

MY RATING: 5 out of 10


Thursday, October 31, 2024

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: ANOTHER CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD HALLOWEEN

 Another year - and another look at some of the great classic Hollywood Halloween costumes. Halloween really is my favorite holiday of the year. Classic Hollywood has been celebrating the holidays for decades!


Charlie Chaplin


Doris Day


Elvis Presley & Jeanne Carmen


Joan Crawford & Douglas Fairbanks Jr


Nancy Carroll



Marion Davies

Prior Classic Hollywood Halloweens:

2021

2019

2014

2012


Friday, October 29, 2021

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: A CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD HALLOWEEN

One of my favorite holidays is Halloween, and throughout my blog's history I have spotlighted some of the great costumes and poses that have been captured of classic Hollywood throughout the years. Here is another addition with some more great pics...

Bing Crosby

Alfred Hitchcock

Ann Miller
Pinky Tomlin & Rita Hayworth

Jackie Cooper

Elizabeth Montgomery

Past "A Classic Hollywood Halloween"...


Saturday, October 26, 2019

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: A CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD HALLOWEEN

I love looking at vintage pictures of Hollywood stars at the holidays. My favorites I think are the photos from Halloween. I spotlighted them in 2012 and 2014 so it's been awhile. Here are some classic Hollywood pics celebrating Halloween...


Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis

Jeanne Crain

Jimmy Durante

Clark Gable and Marion Davies

Linda Darnell

Cyd Charisse

A CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD HALLOWEEN (2012)

A CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD HALLOWEEN (2014)

Saturday, July 20, 2019

RECENTLY VIEWED: HALLOWEEN

I am not a big fan of the Halloween or Friday The 13th genre of horror movies. I was too young and scared to get into them the first time around. However, I was bored on a Saturday night and watched the latest remake of Halloween on HBO. It really was not too bad, but boy has Jamie Lee Curtis aged! Halloween is a 2018 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green, written by Green, Jeff Fradley, and Danny McBride, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle who reprise their respective roles as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, with stuntman James Jude Courtney also portraying Myers. It is the eleventh installment in the Halloween film series and a direct sequel to Halloween (1978) while effecting a retcon of all previous sequels. The plot follows a post-traumatic Laurie Strode who prepares to face Michael Myers in a final showdown on Halloween night, forty years after she survived his killing spree.

After failing to develop a new Halloween film in time, Dimension Films lost the production rights for a sequel, which reverted to Miramax, which then joined with Blumhouse Productions. In May 2016, a new installment was officially announced, with original co-creator John Carpenter's involvement as a composer, executive producer, and creative consultant.


Halloween premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 19, 2018, by Universal Pictures, the distributor's first involvement with the series since Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982). The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many considering it to be both the best Halloween sequel and a return to form for the series. It has grossed over $255 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise and the highest-grossing slasher film in unadjusted dollars, breaking a record that Scream had previously set, as well as breaking several other box office records. A sequel is in early development (of course!)

Jamie Lee Curtis never impressed me as an actress, but this was the role that made her. If you forget about all of the pointless sequels in between the 1st film and this film, then this is a great movie. Curtis does a good job playing a withdrawn and alcoholic slasher victim. Throughout the film, people try to get Michael Myers to talk, and he never does - I wish he would have said something, even a word. Perhaps in the sequel! I'm glad I did not go see the film in the movies, but it was a great film on a rainy Saturday night on television. The theme music alone is worth it!

MY RATING: 7 OUT OF 10







Monday, October 29, 2018

CELEBRITY ADS: LYNN BARI

With Halloween right around the corner, I figured it would be fun to find a classic Hollywood advertisement from the holidays. I found this cool ad featuring Lynn Bari hawking Sinclair Motor Oil. This advertisement is circa 1948, and Bari was currently appearing in the movie The Man From Texas...


Sunday, October 29, 2017

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: FACES OF THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER

During this Halloween season, I wanted to take a look at one of my favorite horror story characters and that is Frankenstein's Monster. Since 1931, he has been played on the screen numerous times, but here are some photos of the famous actors playing the unfortunate monster...


BORIS KARLOFF (1887-1969)


GLENN STRANGE (1899-1973)


BELA LUGOSI (1882-1956)


CHRISTOPHER LEE (1922-2015)


PETER BOYLE (1935-2006)


ROBERT DE NIRO (BORN 1943)

Friday, October 31, 2014

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: A CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD HALLOWEEN

It is that time of the year - Halloween when all of the gremlins and ghouls come out! I like to dust off some movies I always watch around this time of the year like: Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), and even Arsenic And Old Lace (1944). I may have to watch the creepy Freaks (1932) as well. It's a movie I can not watch every year though. I also like to look through how classic Hollywood celebrated October 31st. Some of the pics are really great to look at again:

Judy Garland

Ida Lupino

Fay Wray and Gary Cooper

Ann Rutherford

Mia Farrow and Frank Sinatra

Thelma Todd

Monday, October 15, 2012

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: A CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD HALLOWEEN

Looking at old pictures of classic Hollywood, it was such a glamourous time for tinsel town. I never get tired seeing classic pictures, and I especially love at this time of the year to take a look back at some classic Hollywood Halloween pictures. They were not really scary but they were fun...


CAROLE LOMBARD (1908-1942)


BETTY GRABLE (1916-1973)


ESTHER WILLIAMS (1921-2013)


MARTHA VICKERS (1925-1971)



ADELE JERGENS (1917-2002)


CLARA BOW (1905-1965)

Friday, August 12, 2011

TCM CELEBRATES THE HOLIDAYS

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will celebrate Halloween and Christmas this year with two all-new specials produced by DreamWorks Television and award-winning filmmaker and author Laurent Bouzereau and presented as part of TCM’s ongoing A Night at the Movies documentary series.

In October, TCM will premiere A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King, with the master storyteller himself discussing the classic horror films that influenced him the most. And in December, A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas! will take viewers on a magical journey through some of the greatest holiday films ever made.

TCM’s A Night at the Movies specials are written, produced and directed by Bouzereau, who has been directing documentaries on the films of Steven Spielberg and other directors since 1994. Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey (TNT’s Falling Skies) serve as executive producers. The series began in October 2009 with A Night at the Movies: The Suspenseful World of Thrillers, followed in December 2009 with A Night at the Movies: The Gigantic World of Epics.

In A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King, which premieres on TCM Monday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m. (ET), Stephen King discusses how he discovered terror at the movies. The best-selling author and filmmaker takes viewers on a journey through many aspects of the horror genre, including vampires, zombies, demons and ghosts. He also examines the fundamental reasons behind moviegoers’ incessant craving for being frightened. Along the way, he discusses the movies that have had a real impact on his writing, including Freaks (1932), Cat People (1942), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Night of the Living Dead (1968), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Jaws (1975), Halloween (1978) and The Changeling (1980), to name a few.


A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King will kick off an entire month of classic horror on TCM, with each Monday night’s lineup packed with memorable chillers. The offerings include Universal classics like Frankenstein (1931) and The Wolf Man (1941), Val Lewton thrillers like Cat People (1942) and I Walked with a Zombie (1943), Hammer classics like Horror of Dracula (1958) and cult favorites from William Castle and Roger Corman, to name a few.


Premiering Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas! will be a tinsel-filled journey through the most iconic holiday films of all time, including perennial favorites It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947). The special will look at variations within the genre, such as holiday romances, family movies and even thrillers. A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas will feature behind-the-scenes stories and personal Hollywood Christmas memories from the likes of Chevy Chase, Margaret O’Brien, Chazz Palminteri, Deborah Raffin, Karolyn Grimes, Zack Ward, Brian Henson, Joe Dante, Petrine Day Mitchum, authors Julie Salamon and Alonso Duralde, A Christmas Carol expert Michael Patrick Hearn and many more.


A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas! will be accompanied by an entire month of great holiday films on TCM, including A Christmas Carol (1938), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and both the 1933 and 1949 versions of Little Women.

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