Charlie Loves Jill: Scream 4

Since there are approximately 4989598956989 reviews of Scream 4 out there, the last thing anyone needed was me waxing on about the latest installment of a film franchise that helped inspire the name of this very blog.   No need for any of that, instead, please enjoy the following observations that struck as I was watching Scream 4.

• The opening of this film is everything I want in a Scream movie; fast, funny, scary, creative, smart and surprising.  Bravo to Wes Craven and company for giving me a brilliant ten minutes or so of twists and turns and fake outs and, finally,  gore.  Loved it!
• I love Dewey Riley (David Arquette).  And I love how his cell phone alarm was Axel F from Beverly Hills Cop. 
• Courtney Cox is actually a pretty decent comic actress.
• Neve Campbell still looks great - what's this girl's secret?
• Awww, it's great to see Sid, Gale and Dewey together again.
• Damn, that second murder was pretty gruesome - disgusting in fact.  I must be getting old, seeing the victims guts spilled out on her bed made my stomach turn.
• Wow, lots of self referential stuff going on here - very clever, but if it goes on much longer, it could get irritating.
• It just got irritating.
• Hayden Panettiere's lesbian-hair-cut has made her a better actress, or she's taking acting lessons, damn she's actually very good!
• Hold on, you've got Mary McDonnell in this movie as Sid's aunt (sister of her late mother) and you're not using her back story as one of the central plot points?  What a waste.  Stay away from the mail slot Mary!!!
• Wait, one of the characters is actually gay, but we don't find out until a second before he's dead?  What's up with that?
• I can't figure out if Rory Culkin's eyes are beautiful, or scary, or just plain odd.  Same thing with his hair.
• Robert Rodriquez directed Stab, who knew?
• OK, I understand the suspension of disbelief, but when I found out who one of the killer's was, my first thought was, but it looks like a good stiff wind would knock them to the ground, how could that person take down a full grown man? 
• Apparently, Charlie Loves Jill.
• Much like the first ten minutes, the last fifteen minutes of Scream 4 are a blast.  From the reveal, to another character's psychotic break causing that character to physically assault themselves, to Syd proudly showing the world what a real Final Girl is all about, to the fade out of talking heads reporting the wrong information to the news media. 

Final verdict:  This one is not a classic, it really does not bring much to the table.  That said, it's a fun ride and you could do worse.  Wait for the matinee though, I wouldn't pay full price.