The Faculty

When it first got released, "The Faculty" widely got scorned as another movie trying to ride the "Scream" bandwagon. While there are some similarities, Robert Rodriguez's movie really is all about teen angst. It took me all these years to finally see it. Like "Stranger Things", this movie depicts some geeky youngsters discovering eerie things afoot in their small town. A fun movie. The only downside is something retroactive: seeing Harvey Weinstein's name in the credits. And, being the sort of person that I am, I have to focus on the cast. The cast includes Elijah Wood, Famke Janssen, Jon Stewart, Piper Laurie, Salma Hayek, Daniel Von Bargen, Robert Patrick and Usher. In other words, it stars Frodo Baggins, Jean Grey, the most trusted name in news, Carrie's mom, Frida Kahlo, Commandant Spengler, the T-1000, and a rapper (also appearing is Danny Masterson, best known as Hyde on "That '70s Show"; he's since gotten MeToo'd). Anyway, a great time.

This movie was absolutely hilarious. The plot was inane, the movie knew it, and made use of it to make it funny. This movie does not have to work to make you laugh, its simply spontaneous. It's like the Scary Movie series in this respect. The fact that it stared many contemporary and future stars such as Elijah Wood and John Stewart makes the whole thing even funnier. Josh Hartnet manages an excellent portrayal of the character he is playing even if his later attempts have been less than stellar. Even the overdone special effects combine with the ridiculousness of the plot to make this movie a thoroughly entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.