In the 15th week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We discuss the subject of films about animals suggested by Birgit. Films where the animals drive the stories and such as some are fun while others are scary. Here are my three picks all based on the one animal that I hate more than anything and is really scared of. The spider:
1. Charlotte’s Web
The 1973 animated film revolves around a pig who is sent to live at a farm owned by a girl’s uncle as the pig is afraid to be slaughtered only to then befriend a spider named Charlotte who is voiced by the legendary Debbie Reynolds. Charlotte would find ways to keep the pig Wilbur happy as well as be kept away from becoming food as they’re aided by the rat Templeton who is voiced by the always-underrated Paul Lynde. It’s a charming animated film that shows the good side of what spiders can do.
2. Arachnophobia
A film that I never want to see ever again and all of the reasons why I’m so fucking scared of spiders. It’s about a rare spider from Venezuela that travels to California where he meets a domestic house spider and mates with it where a shitload of scary little poisonous spiders emerge with mysterious deaths. It has some funny moments in the film largely due to John Goodman’s role as an exterminator that no creature should fuck with. Still, the idea of a venomous spider killing people and breeding house spiders that kill people is just too fucking scary for me.
3. Eight Legged Freaks
A horror comedy where an exotic spider farmer feeds crickets to his spiders unaware that the crickets were found at a toxic waste as the spiders become big and wreak havoc in a small town in Arizona. It’s an OK b-movie of sorts as it never takes it seriously. Featuring an ensemble cast that include David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scarlett Johansson, Doug E. Doug, Rick Overton, Leon Rippy, and Tom Noonan in an un-credited role as the spider farmer. It’s just cheesy as fuck but it is still an entertaining film.
© thevoid99 2020
Man, I still need to see Eight Legged Freaks. I've been meaning to forever. Good calls on the others.
ReplyDeleteA great theme within the theme! I haven't seen the Charlotte's Web movie, I only know the more recent version. I do remember watching Arachnophobia, though. :-)
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of these. I'm not even familiar with Charlotte's Web story haha
ReplyDeleteI love the Charlotte's Web cartoon! I watched that a lot when I was a kid. I've seen Arachnophobia but I never saw Eight Legged Freaks. I hate spiders lol
ReplyDeleteI read the book, Charlotte’s Web but have not seen this movie and want to. I love Paul Lynde. I’m With you about spiders, they freak me out and, a few years back, my hubby had this huge swelling on his leg and it was white and then red. He was working under the porch and I am certain he was bit by a spider. If I see a tiny spider climbing up the wall or crawling on the ceiling, I scream and call for hubby to kill it. So, I have not seen these 2 films you have seen. The spider in Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings is enough for me.
ReplyDeleteHi Steven! I haven't seen any of these, though Charlotte's Web sounds like something I'd enjoy. Not sure about the other two, esp Eight Legged Freaks which looks way too scary for me, ahah. Those will give me nightmares!
ReplyDeleteI recently watched Don Bluth's The Land Before Time (1988) and the dinosaurs are very sweet in that (except the T-Rex). I haven't seen Charlotte’s Web which sounds charming as well.
ReplyDelete@Wendell-Eight Legged Freaks is one of those films that never takes itself seriously as it has some funny moments but some of it is just eh but I'm sure you'll have fun.
ReplyDelete@ThePunkTheory-I will never watch Arachnaphobia ever again.
@Brittani-If you never saw Eight Legged Freaks, I don't blame you. I hate spiders.
@Birgit-I screamed my lungs out when I saw Shelob in Return of the King as that scared the fuck out of me.
@Ruth-Eight Legged Freaks is a funnier film but Arachnaphobia is something I never want to watch again as it made me more afraid of spiders.
@Chris-Watch Charlotte's Web as it's just a good film. I remember The Land Before Time but I never liked it as a kid and I still don't like it. It just didn't click with me.
@Sonia-Watch Charlotte's Web, it's a good animated film.
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