100 - Little Nicky

Connection To A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3 - Patricia Arquette

Adam Sandler, more then anybody working in the comedy genre gets accused of peddling the same shtick in movie after movie - and there is no denying that it's a fact... but, and here's to me the thing people seem to ignore - Sandler as ventured out of that shtick plenty of times - and they whether it's a drama or comedy/drama that tend to have one key thing in common they don't really make money...

So for better or worse Sandler as tried to do stuff a but the audiences have mostly stayed away where they have shown up in droves to see Chuck and Larry marry, 2 films that are basically vacations for him and his mates and have him play brother and sister... Sandler is stuck, but he and they are making the money.

Which brings me to Little Nicky, which as the distinction of being in the vein of his usual shtick but also a film that didn't set the box office on fire (like in Hell, ha ha ha ha) - I have just spent two paragraphs basically defending Sandler, because to be fair I do actually enjoy his films - not all, I purposely alluded to four in the above paragraph that I didn't like and are probably the four people would hold as the nadir of Sandler's filmography. And so Little Nicky, and despite it's tone sometimes not feeling too right is a film I enjoy.

Sandler though does make a weird choice for his face and voice for the entire film - as in why didn't somebody say to him before production - are you seriously going with that? Maybe somebody did and they was fired or maybe people just had faith in Sandler but his role is quite likable as the idiot-good soon of the Devil (Harvey Keitel) who's 2 other sons (Rhys Ifans and Tommy 'Tiny' Lister) angry that their dad is staying on as ruler of Hell end up going to Earth, which causes his dad to detorate which leaves it only to Nicky to go back and get them.

He meets a love interest along the way played by Patricia Arquette - is her character supposed to be ugly? Because Patricia Arquette is far from ugly, but she fits in with the comedy thing of making you believe she could fall for the schmuck, he also gets help from a dog Mr. Beefy (voiced by Robert Smigel) 2 devil worshipers and his actor roommate (obviously gay) who are played by Sandler's real life friends.

Since this is a comedy I'll ask myself the question - who delivers the funniest performance? Well in my opinion and it's only a small role is Lewis Arquette (the father of Patricia) as the Cardinal that's been taken over by Ifans. I laughed more at his screen time then anybody else... especially when you compare it to the unfunny cameo by Quentin Tarantino.

Other people who appear are Rodney Dangerfield as Lucifer, the Devil's Dad whose entertaining being Dangerfield, Kevin Nealon who gets forced to have tits on his head, I don't think Jon Lovitz or Dana Carvey's cameos are funny as they could have been considering who there are. We also get Carl Weathers reprising his Happy Gilmore role, Reese Witherspoon as (DELETED FOR SPOILERS), Henry Winkler as himself and Ozzy Osbourne also as himself - which when watching it again recently just made think this was just before The Osbournes TV show so this was the last time he really had the true mystic as The Prince Of Darkness.

Overall, there is enough funny moments to make it worth a watch, but there are scenes and characters that are simply not funny, worth a watch I think.

99 - A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Connection To A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2 - Sequel and Robert Englund of course returns from the previous installment.

Of all the Freddy sequels (including New Nightmare) this is my favourite - this was true when I was a youngling and true now. Maybe I liked it most as a youngling because of it's connection the first one - two characters return and the "kids" are probably the most memorable here.

I should point out though that I am aware this was the first film that really set the formula for the three films after it - Freddy tailoring the nightmares to the kids and Freddy quipping one-liners - it's just like and I think I mentioned this in talking about Batman Forever, where I said the elements that people disliked about Batman & Robin where already there in Forever they just wasn't as bad.

This was the only one of the Elm Street sequels besides the meta-New Nightmare which had any input from Wes Craven (he co-wrote the script) and perhaps that be a reason why this is the best sequel... because it's closest to the classic original.

Heather Langenkamp returns as Nancy and yeah... she's not exactly an amazing actor this time around either but it's really good having her back in the fold - here the action is set in an hospital ward where all the youngsters are scared of sleeping, obviously most people just think there are being crazy except trainee Nancy.

Speaking of the young cast - Patricia Arquette making her debut is Christine, a girl who ends up on the ward when Freddy makes it look like she slit her own wrists, already here she shows talent, Jennifer Rubin, was somebody you would have thought had a much better career but that's the way it goes sometimes.

The tailored nightmares best two are among 2 of the early ones - the puppet master and death by TV - I think because it's fun seeing the denial of the hospital staff after these ones before Craig Wasson's doctor starts getting on board.

SPOILER - My one complaint is the film the IDIOT BALL moment of the end - The Dream Warriors have beaten Freddy, and Nancy's dad (John Saxon) who was just killed trying to bury Freddy's bones shows up as a spirit to say goodbye, everyone stands by looking on happy that Nancy gets to say goodbye and see hugs him, guess what it's really Freddy and this results in her death. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid - END OF SPOILER.

Overall a great horror film in it's own right, a few adjustments and it could have stood on it's own and still be remembered, the stuff that would come most associated with Freddy are only just starting here so they are at a minimum. Recommended.