DIRECTED BY
Renny Harlin

STARRING
John Cena - Det. Danny Fisher
Aidan Gillen - Miles Jackson
Ashley Scott - Molly Porter
Steve Harris - Special Agent George Aiken
Brian J. White - Det. Hank Carver
Gonzalo Menendez - Special Agent Ray Santiago

Genre - Action

Running Time - 108 Minutes

Score - 1 Howl Outta 4


Movies like 12 ROUNDS make me glad most of the time that I'm a single guy. I wouldn't want to deal with some person who I made angry in the past, who has kidnapped my girlfriend and is now putting me through twelve trials just to prove my love and get her back alive. Unless he kidnapped my ex-girlfriend. That bitch doesn't deserve my blood, sweat, and tears.

My ex also deserves a film like 12 ROUNDS, which is extremely dumb for even "dumb action movies" standards. While it's an improvement over WWE Films' first John Cena vehicle, the nauseating THE MARINE, 12 ROUNDS is about nine rounds away from being a action film worth watching. Let's see why Vince McMahon should rethink about this whole movie business...

PLOT
Danny Fisher (John Cena) is a New Orleans Police Detective with apparent superabilities and a string of bad luck. During an FBI sting operation the year before, Danny and his partner Hank Carver (Brian J. White) chase down some international arms dealer and terrorist named Miles Jackson (Aidan Gillen) and his accomplice girlfriend, Ericka (Taylor Cole). Hank gets shot, but Danny manages to reach the two criminals. Unfortunately, Ericka is murdered by being hit by a van during her escape, managing to stun Miles long enough to be arrested - and to wish revenge on Danny for "murdering" the love of his life.

Present day, Miles somehow escapes prison and kidnaps Danny's girlfriend, Molly (Ashley Scott), as a way to pay Danny back for Ericka's death. Unlike a real villain, who would have murdered the girlfriend of his enemy right away, Miles decides to be a douche and play a game with Danny. This game involves putting Danny through 12 rounds of dangerous situations. If Danny completes all 12, he gets Molly back. If not, both of them are dead. But as Hank and FBI Agents George Aiken (Steve Harris) and Ray Santiago (Gonzalo Menendez) join the case, Miles true intentions start to reveal themselves. Is it just a case of simple revenge? Or is there something much more in play here?

REVIEW
I have three words for 12 ROUNDS:

WHAT THE FUCK!?

12 ROUNDS is a film with an interesting concept but executed really poorly like most Hollywood film ideas these days. It should be a fun film. It should be an exciting film. But it's boring, more predictable than any action film should be, and not all that memorable once it's over. When I'm wishing the hero to FAIL at his goal in an action movie, we have a major problem.

The story, written by Daniel Kunka [who never wrote a screenplay before this one], was obviously inspired by DIE HARD, SPEED, and probably THE FRENCH CONNECTION. The screenplay is so inspiring that I was wishing that I was watching those films instead of this one. The story is pretty bad for action standards. The 12 rounds gimmick is a pretty cool one - if it was done right. But the way they're used here just drags 12 ROUNDS down. Why 12 rounds? Why not 6 or something? Would it have made a difference? And they were mainly about receiving phone calls and demolishing city property. Ooh, exciting. Most of the rounds require some sort of deadline, I assume, to increase the tension and suspense. What's laughable is that for those that don't have a deadline, the characters just decide to make one on their own just for fuck's sakes. How in the hell does Danny know he has to reach a certain destination in a minute if Miles never told him? I guess that's why he's a fake Police Detective and I'm not. At least the rounds keep the film from going completely stale, even if they are pretty lame rounds.

The character development in the film is pretty non-existent. While I like stereotypes as much as anyone [i.e. the Hero, the token kidnapped girlfriend, the James Bond-ian villain, the best friend who's gonna bite it], it doesn't increase a viewer's interest in the weak narrative. With the main sub-plot being Danny's mission to save Molly from Miles, it would have helped if we knew what kind of relationship Danny and Molly have to make us care. They barely have two minutes on-screen time together before Molly gets kidnapped, to which Danny overreacts about and risks his own life to save her. For me to understand the driving force behind Danny's motive, I need to understand the complexity of his relationship to his girlfriend. Instead, Danny is given a girlfriend because it's an action cliche and it has to be in the script. There's no other reason for it to exist otherwise. The whole thing feels forced and uninteresting. I thought Miles relationship with Ericka was more developed, and Ericka was barely in the film. That's pretty sad. And I gotta say - why is Vince McMahon putting John Cena in movies where he has to save his wife or his girlfriend? What's next? John Cena having to save his fiancee or boyfriend or something? It's getting old and stupid.

And even though this film is supposed to be about Danny chasing after Miles, I found the smaller sub-plot with Steve Harris' character to be more interesting. George Aiken had a grudge with Miles over something from the past, constantly playing with a Hot Wheels car as a reminder. It made me wonder why he had this toy and why he kept opening and closing the hood. Also, what did Miles do to Aiken that turned the guy into such a prick? He was the most interesting character in the film because he actually made me want to know MORE about the guy. Wow, what a novel concept. I wish 12 ROUNDS had more moments that caught my interest. Aiken should have been the main character, not Superman Danny Fisher.

The action sequences, just like in THE MARINE, are pretty implausible and just overall ridiculous. Watching John Cena fly with his limbs extended when he's near an explosion just make me chuckle for all the wrong reasons. We get a bus scene that's a lamer version of SPEED. We get a long sequence with a trolley that can't brake, so Danny and Ray Santiago stop it - by driving their car into the New Orleans power supply in the middle of some street.

Are you fuckin' serious?

We also get Danny sliding down something outside of a tall building because it's QUICKER to kill himself doing that than running down 10 flights of stairs.

Rrrrriiiiiggghhhtttttt...

And let's not forget the helicopter battle at the end. And Danny barely got a bruise or a scratch on him. But he sure was really sore!

Puh-LEEZE!

Renny Harlin [director of DIE HARD 2, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER, the awesome CLIFFHANGER, the not-so-awesome THE COVENANT, and countless others] does a barely mediocre job behind the camera. While the film looks visually more appealing than anything in THE MARINE, there were still problems on the technical front. For a 108 minute film, it felt twice as long. Also, we could have had some cool action sequences in the film. Unfortunately, Harlin decided that using annoying quick cuts and an unnecessary amount of shaky cam would be friggin' cool!

No, it's not!

I also felt that Harlin used too many sequences where cars were exploding and property was getting destroyed. I understand it's an action film, Renny. You don't have to force it! I appreciate that Harlin tried to make 12 ROUNDS feel like an 80s and 90s over-the-top action film. But those films [the good ones anyway] had a heart and soul behind the destruction. 12 ROUNDS is just heartless and soulless, no matter how much Harlin was trying to put life into it.

The acting was a mixed bag here. John Cena actually does a better job acting-wise than he did in THE MARINE. He plays Danny in a simple, determined, and sort of likeable way. He can also handle the action stuff decently - running, jumping, and climbing all over the place. I just wish the role was fleshed out more and it allowed Cena to emote a bit because the man does have charisma and presence. But given the quality of the script, that wasn't gonna happen.

Wait...do you hear that Cena? I think Dwayne Johnson is laughing at you. Hmmm.

Aidan Gillen was probably the best actor as the villainous Miles Jackson. While a complete dumbass story-wise, Gillen makes the character sort of funny in a suave and sophisticated way. I kind of wished he were in a better action film because I could totally buy him in the role if better material was involved. Ashley Scott is just the eye candy as Molly. She looks bored and acts like she's sleepwalking through the role. I don't blame her. What fun is it to just act kidnapped? At least make her show a boob or something! She's hot AND can act!!! Steve Harris was good as George Aiken. He convinced me with his prick attitude. Brian J. White was also decent as the best friend. He definitely was more fun to watch than Cena and Scott. Why were these two the main focus again?

THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILE GIVING UP AFTER THE FOURTH ROUND

- Danny said that "you get two things when you're a cop: a gun and a badge." Apparently the steroids led to the loss of his nightstick. Ooh...BURN!!

- Molly told Danny that even though he had 10 minutes until he started his shift, it would only take him 2 minutes to finish his romantic "duties". Looks like someone was given an "Attitude Adjustment"!

- Miles shot Hank in the ass. Save that kind of shit for your social life. You're on duty, Officer!

- Miles kidnapped Molly fairly easy. For someone who is the daughter of both Batman and Catwoman, I expected more out of her.

- Danny had to toss an explosive in the river after the round was over. Lucky there were no ducks around because some days you just can't get rid of a bomb.

- Round 6 involved an elevator free falling to the ground that held Danny and the pleasantly plumb, Willy [insert your killer whale jokes here], the hotel manager. Even though Willy didn't live to be on the show, he's obviously The Biggest Loser.

- When FBI agents are put on hold, Barry Manilow plays in the background. I don't see the problem. Music and passion were always in fashion at the Copa...

- Only Danny's thumbprint on some detonator can save Molly's life. I don't know how Miles got Danny's thumbprint, but any thumb is better than a five knuckle shuffle.

- Fellow WWE Wrestler, Mark Henry's, "Sexual Chocolate" theme song played at the end of the film. Unless this is a sign that Mark Henry is in the next WWE film and he's not playing Fat Albert or Predator, then it's time for Vince McMahon to just quit the whole film thing. It's bad enough I'm getting THE MARINE 2. [-shivers-]

THE FINAL HOWL
What could have been a fun film turns out to be a flop called 12 ROUNDS, which happened to be 8 rounds too many for me. It's not the worst WWE Films project but it's far from the best, which still happens to be THE CONDEMNED. If Renny Harlin had played the film as a silly sort of thing like THE TRANSPORTER and CRANK films take pride in, 12 ROUNDS would had worked exceptionally. But since it was taken seriously, it fails. If you're a John Cena or Renny Harlin fan, wait for it on cable or something. Otherwise, don't bother.

Film Arcade.net is giving away a copy of "Knowing" and "Push" courtesy of Summit Entertainment.

A college professor (Nicolas Cage) opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son's elementary school. In it are some chilling, accurate predictions of disasters … when, where and how many will die. Most of these events must uncover the details of the next disasters in hopes of preventing them. If he fails, who knows how many may die? Bonus features include director commentary and two featurettes: “Visions of the Apocalypse” and “The Making of a Futuristic Thriller.”


A group of young Americans with extraordinary psychic abilities must band together and use their different talents on a mission that will enable them to escape a clandestine government agency. Bonus materials include deleted scenes with director commentary, the featurette: “The Science Behind the Fiction” and director and cast commentary.

To enter each of these this contest, send an email to contest@filmarcade.net. Please include the name of the movie that you want in the subject line, along with your name and address. Contest is opened to US residents only. Contest ends, Thursday July 16th.

Now in its 13th year, the Rhode Island International Film Festival™, (RIIFF) will take place August 4-9, 2009. In its brief life span, the Festival has become a leading juried competition showcase for international independent filmmakers and their work. In 2008, RIIFF screened 289 cinematic works in seven days to large and appreciative crowds. These films were submitted from over 53 countries, and 32 states in the United States.

The Festival presented 58 World Premieres and 41 US/North American Premieres. Following months of adjudication and review, RIIFF films were selected from over 3,000 international submissions. The Festival had 12 sell-outs and is recognized within the industry as the largest festival in New England.

What sets RIIFF apart is that the Festival is one of only five broadly focused, independent festivals in New England accepting works of any type (dramatic, documentary, experimental, animation), on any subject matter, and in any genre. In 2002, RIIFF was notified by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) that it had elected to recognize the Rhode Island International Film Festival as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category for the Annual Academy Awards. With more than 7,000 film festivals worldwide, only 63 have this recognition.

The Rhode Island International Film Festival, takes place in the historic cities of Providence as well as satellite locations throughout the state; including Kingston, Newport, Narragansett, Barrington, Cranston and Westerly. The dynamic nature of Rhode Island offers excellent screening facilities, strong community support, and unlimited growth potential. Visit http://www.film-festival.org/ for more details!

Also, Film Arcade.net recently recieved a couple of trailers of films that will be playing at the 2009 Rhode Island International Film Festival.



Jim Thorpe, The World's Greatest Athlete
Directed by Tom Weidlinger
(2009, 86 min. U S A)

Jim Thorpe, The World’s Greatest Athlete is a biography of the Native American athlete who became a sports icon in the first half of the 20th centu ry. Beginning with Thorpe’s boyhood in Indian territory it chronicles his rise to athletic stardom at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, winning two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics, his fall from grace in the eyes of the amateur athletic establishment, and his rebound in professional baseball and football. Thorpe retired from pro sports at age 41 just before the stock market crash of ’29. He worked as a construction laborer before getting work in Hollywood as a bit part player. He became a representative for Indian extras in Hollywood, fighting for equal pay for Native Americans in the movies. In the 1940s he crisscrossed the nation as a public speaker advocating for Indian self-determination.

Jim Thorpe, The World’s Greatest Athlete is the first feature length documentary to be made about the man. It appeals to sports buffs as well as those interested in Native American issues, especially the tension between assimilation into white society and forging a separate Indian identity in the 20th century.




Fruit Fly
Directed by H.P. Mendoza
(2008, 94 min. U S A)

Bethesda, a Filipina performance artist, moves into a San Francisco artist commune in the hopes of moving her one woman show to a big city. Along with the numerous friends she makes in the art community, she also finds clues to the whereabouts of her biological mother, lessons in humility, and the startling realization that she just might be a fag-hag. All told through 14 original musical numbers written by H.P. Mendoza (Colma: The Musical).



Fish out of Water
Directed by Ky Dickens
(2009, 60 min. U S A)

In “Fish out of Water”, a young lesbian’s rejection by her Christian peers propels her to consult America’s premier theologians in a dissection and debunking of the seven Bible verses used to condemn homosexuality and justify discrimination.

Murder Loves Killers Too
Year: 2009
Director: Drew Barnhardt
Studio: Well-Go USA
Stars: Christine Haeberman, Allen Andrews, Mary Legault
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 73 Mins.
Official Website: Http://www.murdersloveskillerstoo.com





There have been a lot of slasher films that I have reviewed on this site. Murder Loves killers Too’ is one of better slasher films that I’ve seen that I had fun watching.

The film is about a group of teens that go out to a remote cabin in the woods for a wild weekend of partying. (Yes, I know that is the same plot line for most of these films.) Soon they come across Big Stevie, a man who looking to blow some steam, as he has problems in his life. He blows off steam, by murdering people, in horrible and shocking ways. Now all alone after her friends are murdered, Auggie, a sweet and innocent teen, must try and stop this psycho, before he does horrible things to her.

Murder Loves Killers Too” is a very fun horror film that provides with the scares and fun that is needed for a slasher film to succeed. I enjoyed Writer/Director Drew Barnhardt’s direction, as this was a fun film to watch. It has everything that a horror film needs for it to be fun. He does a very good job with trying to inventive, as it’s tough to do, in a slasher film. One of the reasons for that, Barnhardt doesn’t wait any time with moving the film along. He does that, by directing the death scenes in a way that keeps your attention, while the story unfolds. This is film very gory, but it’s also makes the film fun. Another reason would be the film’s score that was done, by Ryan Franks. Barnhardt made sure that Franks’ score was in tune with the film’s tone, as the soundtrack sounded like it came out of an eighties horror film. That fits well here, because this film is a homage to eighties horror. Barnhardt was also good, in the way that he directed his actors and actresses. Everyone in the cast really had very good chemistry, especially from the film’s two leads, Christine Haeberman and Allen Andrews. Their chemistry with each other onscreen was important, because if that didn’t work, then this film would have suffered.

The film also has a good screenplay from Barnhardt. I like how he makes this story, very different from other slasher films. Barnhardt does that by adding things like narration at the beginning, not making any of the characters annoying, and cutting to the chase. It helps the story move at a good pace and doesn’t slow down to the point that you get bored. He also does a good job just focusing on the two main characters. That gives it more time to develop them and not get lost, in the film’s story. The screenplay also did a good job, not making the teens so annoying. Barnhardt makes sure that the teens don’t become the main focal point with their antics. He does that by not keeping some of them around for long. That makes this film different and it doesn’t give the characters a chance to be annoying and obnoxious.

“Murder Loves Killers Too” is a very fun slasher film that will make horror fans rejoice.

I was in the second grade when this movie came out back in 1984. It was also one of the few movies in this endless series to actually open on Friday the 13th. Looking back, it was interesting to see a lot of 8 and 9 years old get excited about a movie that had absolutely no business seeing at that age. Whether the adults liked it or not, these movies did play a part be it big or small in our young lives. They were to my generation what the “Saw” movies are to today’s generation of kids. The sight of bloody violence on the big screen (as opposed to real life) is still exciting to many, and this has been the case for longer than any of us really realize. Still, it would be several more years before I actually bothered to see it, and on television with all the good parts taken out no less.

I got to see this one recently at the New Beverly Cinema as part of the “Tommy Jarvis Trilogy” of the Friday the 13th franchise. This trilogy is comprised of Part IV: The Final Chapter, Part V: A New Beginning, and Part VI: Jason Lives. When the title “The Final Chapter” was thrust at us on the big screen, you can imagine the uncontainable laughter that erupted from the audience. I’m sure Paramount Pictures really believed that this would be the very last one… that is, until they saw the box office grosses.

We have seen Jason killed off so many times over the years, but it’s important to note that when he got a nice big ax to the head in Part 3-D, that was the first time in the series that Jason was actually “killed off.” In the very first movie, it was Jason’s mother swinging a rusty machete at teenagers who remind her not only of her baby boy, but of the body she used to have. Jason didn’t appear in that one until the very end when he gave us one of the biggest jumps out of your seat moments in movie history. Jason wasn’t even killed off in Part II. Sure, he got his ass kicked, but it was not a fatal blow for he was slowly grabbing his machete while our virginal heroes walked away. When Part III came along, it was assumed that Jason finally met his maker. That is, until Paramount saw that they made $36 million off a movie with a budget of $2.5 million.

When Part IV starts, the police have arrived at the scene of the crime and Jason (wearing the hockey mask that was first introduced to him in Part III) is being covered up and shipped off to to the morgue undergo an autopsy. When he arrives at the hospital, Jason is dropped off in the care of the biggest slob of a doctor/coroner, Axel (Bruce Mahler). Seeing slobber all over his burrito like a dog, watching women in skin tight spandex clothing doing aerobics (with the volume on mute no less), I wonder what would make this man think that he could be a god to women. Axel does ends up making out with Nurse Morgan (Lisa Freeman) regardless of the fact that she is utterly repulsed by him. Of course, if common sense was used by the characters in this movie, then this would be no longer than 30 minutes. Who wants to see a slasher film that short?! These two get murdered (big surprise), and Jason somehow makes it pass security with his hockey mask on, and he goes right back to Crystal Lake.

Well, he ends up going next door to Crystal Lake actually as he drops in on a mother and her two kids who have rented the adjacent house next door to a bunch of teens who are out and about to have a fun time. By that, I mean drinking lots of beer, smoking lots of pot, watching vintage porno movies, having as much premarital sex as humanly possible, and some mandatory skinny dipping. You know, your normal weekend in Los Angeles. You know what happens next; Jason comes in to do his Benihana act on everybody like a drunk with power landlord who never hesitates to evict tenants who haven’t paid in months.

The “Friday the 13th” movies have routinely featured actors who you never really hear from again after you see them in these cinematic spectaculars. However, Part IV features two actors who are still working today, Corey Feldman and Crispin Glover. We get to see Corey as a pre-teen with all those drug addiction years ahead of him (he’s clean now, good for him), and he plays the young Tommy Jarvis who has a passion for making masks of all kind. Crispin Glover plays Jimmy, a man who has had no real luck with women. Throughout the movie, he gets woman advice from Ted (Lawrence Monoson) who seems to know everything about them. Guess who gets laid first. No, it’s not who you think…or maybe it is.

Of course, the one thing we do look forward to in these movies are the kills. Jason definitely gets some nasty cuts in they were most likely even more nasty until the MPAA came in and said:

“Uh, no I don’t think so.”

One of the classic moments in this film features a guy getting it right in the groin. Oh to be in a theater when this scene was displayed on the silver screen. It’s one of the few times where you can see a whole audience of men grab their crotches, thankful that it was not them who suddenly got turned into falsetto singers. There is a nice shower scene as well which ends with Jason doing his Norman Bates routine. It’s not as suspenseful as the original “Psycho,” but it sure as hell is a lot bloodier!

Much has been said over the years of how sexist towards women these movies are. Granted, there are some women (with very toned bodies no less) who are treated like sex objects with magnificent bodies to display, and who are out to seduce whatever men who end up locked in their sights. But at the same time, most of these movies feature women as being the bravest and most heroic of the bunch. They’re the ones who find the courage (even after they compete with Jaime Lee Curtis for the “Scream Queen” title) to defeat Jason after all others have failed (because they were busy making out or doing drugs). Why do critics keep forgetting that it’s usually a lone woman who is left alive after all this bloody carnage has reached its inevitable end?

Actually, I wonder why men don’t get more offended than women do at these movies. Most men in these slasher flicks are lucky if they makes it out alive before the end credits, and it’s usually thanks to the women they team up with. Men in these movies are usually portrayed as sexually challenged or socially inept. They come off as being ever so desperate to get laid like most men are, and they come off as profoundly idiotic. Some of them think they are born Casanovas, but their egos are quickly crushed, and they are brought down to earth eventually to realize that they are more likely to be teased by the ladies and fall for it. You think women have it bad in these films? Look at how the men are treated. They are treated like they think more about Mr. Happy more than anything else. Now even while most men do, there is always that one man in the bunch who is so unlucky with women that he has better things to worry about, such as surviving and killing Mr. Voorhees with that one good shot.

Why don’t men protest these movies the way women do? I tell ya, it’s bad enough having to go through puberty when you are also dealing with a mass murderer wearing a hockey mask. It’s not only the hormones that are jumping up all over the place, there’s also body parts of all kinds flying about in the air, not to mention all the blood that makes a mess of everything. Think of all the house painting and new wallpaper the homeowners will need to get once they get ready to rent out the house again!

It’s a kick to see such a young Corey Feldman here. To see him before he sadly felt into a nasty drug addiction (which he has since overcome) and before he did “The Goonies” and “The Lost Boys” does feel a little strange as we are so used to him as an older guy, and he does show promise in this sequel. Seeing him jumping up and down in his bed when he sees one of the women next door undress brings back a lot of memories. Just don’t ask me to tell you which ones, ha, ha, ha! Corey is actually pretty good here as he goes from innocent naïve young boy to a seriously disturbed boy as a result of witnessing Jason’s rampage. I also admired how fast he was in shaving off his hair so he could look like Jason as a boy, and he managed to do all this in record time while Jason was waving that rusty machete at his big sister. Give me another actor who could have made that seem somewhat believable, I dare ya!

Crispin Glover is also a big kick to watch in this movie, and I’m not sure he’s changed all that much since. We get to see him here before he hit it big as George McFly in “Back To The Future,” and before he got all those bizarre panic attacks about doing the sequels which he ended up dropping out of. Hopefully I’m not giving too much away, but he does score with the women in this one, and this had one audience member yelling out:

“YOU GO MCFLY!!”

You also gotta dig Glover’s nice spastic dance which more or less predated the break dancing era. No one dances like Crispin does, and no one else dies like he does in this movie. Could he be as strange as the characters he plays? Maybe so, but these days he seems to be using it to good effect. That voice of his never changes, but he has come a long way since his infamous David Letterman interview.

This “Friday The 13th” sequel is also notable as it is the last one Tom Savini did the makeup effects for. Having worked on many different horror films of the immensely gory kind like “Dawn Of The Dead” (the original) and “Maniac” among others, his work has a realism to it that is as uncomfortable as it is brutally effective. This is even more so when you look at the rest of the sequels in this series where the kills look utterly fake and are played for laughs more than anything else. Apparently, Savini based a lot of makeup work on what he saw as a combat photographer and soldier in Vietnam, so there is an authenticity to his work that many have to give him credit for. Whatever you think about Savini’s work, there’s no doubt that he is brilliant at what he does, and that other makeup artists have to work twice as hard to even come close to outdoing his bloody accomplishments.

The director for this particular sequel was Joseph Zito, and he has also directed such amazing B-movie classics like “Missing In Action,” “Invasion U.S.A.,” and “Red Scorpion.” Zito is one of those workmen like directors who gets the job done and gives the audience what they want. Other than that, his style of directing doesn’t really have any distinguishing characteristics to it. It takes a lot of movies produced by Cannon Pictures to keep a director like this working because he sure hasn’t done anything else outside of that. One of the last movies he directed was “Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol.” But if Zito really enjoys what he does, then I guess it shouldn’t matter too much what other people think of him.

Playing the immortal (whether you like it or not) Jason Voorhees in “The Final Chapter” is Ted White, but you almost wouldn’t know it since he had his name taken off the credits. Ted was selected for the role because he is a big guy (6’ 4” were talking), and he said that only did this movie because he needed the money. I’m sure that a “Friday The 13th” movie is not something you want to put at the top of your resume, especially when you’re playing a character whose face is hidden behind a hockey mask. But Ted, for what it’s worth, your Jason was one of the best and certainly one of the most threatening in this never ending series. From what I heard, you were not at all happy about working on this one, but please don’t think that this movie was a waste of your time. Remember, you could have been in “Jason X.”

And of course, you have Harry Manfredini’s music score which involves the endless wailing of woodwind instruments with the occasional trumpets and tubas blasting away at the climax of this endeavor. I wonder if there is any video of Harry conducting these scores with his orchestra. That would be a kick to see how he goes about conducting, let alone writing the score. I can see him telling the violinists to play all over the place, and that it won’t matter if it sounds off key as long as its really creepy sounding.

Look, no one is ever gonna mistake any of the “Friday the 13th” movies for great cinema, but nobody goes in expecting that either. “The Final Chapter” certainly wasn’t that, especially when you look into Tommy Jarvis’ eyes in the final moment (“The Omen,” eat your heart out). While this sequel is certainly dated stylistically, it actually holds up better than many of the others. This really was the last of this series that set out to be truly scary, and the series (for better and for worse) went downhill into comedy and pathetically ridiculous storylines. Even if it got a lot of the predictable hatred from film critics when it came out, it is nowhere as bad as some of the later entries, let alone many of the even cheaper knock offs it inspired in its path of success. It even looks much better when you compare to any movie over Part VI. I don’t really love these movies, but I do love watching them whenever they are on, especially when you’re watching it with an audience or a group of friends just so you can analyze how stupid the characters are.

“Friday The 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter” is a movie people will enjoy more than they ever care to admit. Call it a guilty pleasure if you will, but it is an entertaining one even if it “rots your brain” like others love to say. Any guy who tells you they hate these movies has got to be lying to a certain extent, especially when they are just going out the door to see the new “Saw” sequel. They’ll say it’s different, but c’mon! Who is you trying to fool?

**½ out of ****