Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Halloween reviews: The Exorcist
Today, I look at a highly-respected classic film, directed by William Friedkin, based off the hugely successful novel by William Peter Blattey...
The Exorcist:
This is the film that shocked and jolted audiences, and was able to even frighten people like Stephen King. Rob Zombie said this was one of the many films to scare him as a young kid. In Washington DC, Chris MacNeil, a big-time actress and atheist, finds something strange with her usually sweet daughter Reagan after playing with an old ouija (wigi) board, and finds that possibly she has been possessed by a demon, possibly even the Devil himself. Aftert trying every scientific test in the book, Chris, as a last resort, calls two priest to exorcise her daughter... The performances in this film are incredible. Academy Award-winning actress Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Requiem for a Dream) plays Chris. Her performance as a confident actress and loving mother quickly switched to a distubred, troubled woman trying to find help for her daughter. But this switch is not abrupt or noticeable, it's a believable and gradual switch, and it's brilliantly played by Burstyn. Jason Miller plays Father Damien Karras, a young priest at the Georgetown University in DC. He has lost faith in God after the sudden death of his elderly mother. He is a troubled and intellectual man, who begins to fall apart during the exorcism of Reagan, and builds a teacher-student relationship with Father Merrin. It's truly a powerful perofrmnce, and one that drive the film, up until Damien's selfless sacrifice at the end. Ironically, a few years later, the main character, also named Damien, from The Omen was portrayed as the Devil's son, not a holy man. At the time only in his mid-20's, Max von Sydow plays Father Merrin, the wise, old priest who teams with Damien to exorcise Reagan. It's incredible that someone so young delivers a performance that is so convincing, he really gets into character of the old, wise priest, and he's so convincing in the role, I was convinced he was actually 60-something-years-old. Lee J. Cobb plays a police detective who thinks Reagan is involved in a murder, and later becomes involved with the exorcism. The performance that really makes the last half of the film is the young Linda Blair as Regan. She, at first, plays herself, a sweet, quiet young girl, but, during the second half, she convincingly plays a putrid, sick, disgusting, vile, cruel, vulgar, and evil demon, who just happens to share the same body. Mercedes McCambridge provided the voice of the demon, and she provides a truly strange voice, with no identifiable gender. Father William O'Malley (yes, a real priest) plays Damien's friend Joseph Dyer, a fellow priest who is trying to help his friend through his tough times. The writing and direction is great. William Peter Blattey (former priest) wrote the bestselling novel, and helped with the film, and the realistic handling of a possession is astounding. William Friedkin (The French Connection) directs the film beautifully, with great cinematography. The special effects in the film are impressive, having to invent new animatronics and techniques to pull off the iconic spider crawl and head spin scenes. The haunting muscial theme by Jack Nitzsche is truly creepy and has a sinister sound. The Exorcist may not be the scariest film right now, but it's truly disturbing, convincing, and beautiful, and has some amazing performances and special effects. 5/5 stars,
The Exorcist:
This is the film that shocked and jolted audiences, and was able to even frighten people like Stephen King. Rob Zombie said this was one of the many films to scare him as a young kid. In Washington DC, Chris MacNeil, a big-time actress and atheist, finds something strange with her usually sweet daughter Reagan after playing with an old ouija (wigi) board, and finds that possibly she has been possessed by a demon, possibly even the Devil himself. Aftert trying every scientific test in the book, Chris, as a last resort, calls two priest to exorcise her daughter... The performances in this film are incredible. Academy Award-winning actress Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Requiem for a Dream) plays Chris. Her performance as a confident actress and loving mother quickly switched to a distubred, troubled woman trying to find help for her daughter. But this switch is not abrupt or noticeable, it's a believable and gradual switch, and it's brilliantly played by Burstyn. Jason Miller plays Father Damien Karras, a young priest at the Georgetown University in DC. He has lost faith in God after the sudden death of his elderly mother. He is a troubled and intellectual man, who begins to fall apart during the exorcism of Reagan, and builds a teacher-student relationship with Father Merrin. It's truly a powerful perofrmnce, and one that drive the film, up until Damien's selfless sacrifice at the end. Ironically, a few years later, the main character, also named Damien, from The Omen was portrayed as the Devil's son, not a holy man. At the time only in his mid-20's, Max von Sydow plays Father Merrin, the wise, old priest who teams with Damien to exorcise Reagan. It's incredible that someone so young delivers a performance that is so convincing, he really gets into character of the old, wise priest, and he's so convincing in the role, I was convinced he was actually 60-something-years-old. Lee J. Cobb plays a police detective who thinks Reagan is involved in a murder, and later becomes involved with the exorcism. The performance that really makes the last half of the film is the young Linda Blair as Regan. She, at first, plays herself, a sweet, quiet young girl, but, during the second half, she convincingly plays a putrid, sick, disgusting, vile, cruel, vulgar, and evil demon, who just happens to share the same body. Mercedes McCambridge provided the voice of the demon, and she provides a truly strange voice, with no identifiable gender. Father William O'Malley (yes, a real priest) plays Damien's friend Joseph Dyer, a fellow priest who is trying to help his friend through his tough times. The writing and direction is great. William Peter Blattey (former priest) wrote the bestselling novel, and helped with the film, and the realistic handling of a possession is astounding. William Friedkin (The French Connection) directs the film beautifully, with great cinematography. The special effects in the film are impressive, having to invent new animatronics and techniques to pull off the iconic spider crawl and head spin scenes. The haunting muscial theme by Jack Nitzsche is truly creepy and has a sinister sound. The Exorcist may not be the scariest film right now, but it's truly disturbing, convincing, and beautiful, and has some amazing performances and special effects. 5/5 stars,
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Ben Affleck's new movie based on a true story
Today I review the new thriller from director/star Ben Affleck, based on the remarkable true story:
Argo.
Argo:
In 1979, the American government assisted the dictating Shah of Iran by putting him in protective custody. Violent protestors broke into the American Embassy and kidnapped some staff. Six employees escaped and were taken into custody at the Canadian ambassador's home. They avoided capture for months, and were near capture in January 1980. CIA agent Tony Mendez convinced his superiors, such as Jack O'Donnell, to go along with a mission to rescue the hostages. The plan: fly in as a "Canadian movie crew" to rescue the hostages at the ambassador's house, and then fly back to the States altogether as a crew. The script they chose: "Argo", a Star Wars-rip off, and a possible metaphor for the state of Iran. They made the film have a Middle-Eastern vibe to convince citizens that they needed Iran to film, and the mission was successful. The filmm is loosely based on this event, but is entertaining as hell. Ben Affleck turns in a fantastic perofrmance as Mendez, a man who is currently having troubles with his wife, and is inspired by his son (a huge sci-fi buff) to concieve the Argo operation. He becomes emotionally distruaght and tense, and Affleck captures the tension of possibly being tortured and killed terrifically. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Larry Crowne, Batman: Year One) turns in a great performance as O'Donnell, Mendez's stern but sympathetic boss, who is as invested in the Argo operation as Mendez, even though he's restricted to the CIA offices. Alan Arkin turns in a great comedic performance as Lester Siegel, a producer who says "If I'm gonna make a fake movie, it's gonna be a fake hit." Surprisingly, the trailers focused more on his character and the "fake movie" thing than the film does. Siegel also coins the catchphrase "ArGo fuck yourself!" John Goodman plays Mendez and Siegel's friend, Oscar-winning makeup artist John Chambers, who assists Mendez in to making the Argo illusion as real as possible. Clea DuVall, Kyle Chandler, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, and Christopher Stanley all give great perofrmances as some of the "houseguests" of the Canadian ambassador. Also worhty of note, Tom Lenk (The Cabin in the Woods, Buffy) plays Rodd, and Michael Parks makes a cameo as comic artist Jack Kirby. The film was also produced by actor-turned-director George Clooney and Grant Heslov, who had worked together on Clooney's award-winning 2005 biopic Good Night and Good Luck. Affleck really shows his further upgrade as an actor, and a director. his previous two films: the crime capers Gone Baby Gone (starring Affleck's brother Casey.) and The Town, were excellent films, and Affleck has branched out from Boston-based crime movies into historically-based period pieces about political conflicts. Affleck is still able to create an amazing tension, even though you know that the hostages escape, you're always on the edge of your seat. The writing is brilliant, remaining dramatic, but still pretty accurate. The opening scene is a compilation of sci-fi-like sotryboards, and stock footage. The end credits feature a comparison of movie scenes and actual photos, remaining incredibly accurate to the source. Argo is an amazingly entertaining, exhilirating, and gripping drama/thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the credits roll. 5/5 stars.
Argo.
Argo:
In 1979, the American government assisted the dictating Shah of Iran by putting him in protective custody. Violent protestors broke into the American Embassy and kidnapped some staff. Six employees escaped and were taken into custody at the Canadian ambassador's home. They avoided capture for months, and were near capture in January 1980. CIA agent Tony Mendez convinced his superiors, such as Jack O'Donnell, to go along with a mission to rescue the hostages. The plan: fly in as a "Canadian movie crew" to rescue the hostages at the ambassador's house, and then fly back to the States altogether as a crew. The script they chose: "Argo", a Star Wars-rip off, and a possible metaphor for the state of Iran. They made the film have a Middle-Eastern vibe to convince citizens that they needed Iran to film, and the mission was successful. The filmm is loosely based on this event, but is entertaining as hell. Ben Affleck turns in a fantastic perofrmance as Mendez, a man who is currently having troubles with his wife, and is inspired by his son (a huge sci-fi buff) to concieve the Argo operation. He becomes emotionally distruaght and tense, and Affleck captures the tension of possibly being tortured and killed terrifically. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Larry Crowne, Batman: Year One) turns in a great performance as O'Donnell, Mendez's stern but sympathetic boss, who is as invested in the Argo operation as Mendez, even though he's restricted to the CIA offices. Alan Arkin turns in a great comedic performance as Lester Siegel, a producer who says "If I'm gonna make a fake movie, it's gonna be a fake hit." Surprisingly, the trailers focused more on his character and the "fake movie" thing than the film does. Siegel also coins the catchphrase "ArGo fuck yourself!" John Goodman plays Mendez and Siegel's friend, Oscar-winning makeup artist John Chambers, who assists Mendez in to making the Argo illusion as real as possible. Clea DuVall, Kyle Chandler, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, and Christopher Stanley all give great perofrmances as some of the "houseguests" of the Canadian ambassador. Also worhty of note, Tom Lenk (The Cabin in the Woods, Buffy) plays Rodd, and Michael Parks makes a cameo as comic artist Jack Kirby. The film was also produced by actor-turned-director George Clooney and Grant Heslov, who had worked together on Clooney's award-winning 2005 biopic Good Night and Good Luck. Affleck really shows his further upgrade as an actor, and a director. his previous two films: the crime capers Gone Baby Gone (starring Affleck's brother Casey.) and The Town, were excellent films, and Affleck has branched out from Boston-based crime movies into historically-based period pieces about political conflicts. Affleck is still able to create an amazing tension, even though you know that the hostages escape, you're always on the edge of your seat. The writing is brilliant, remaining dramatic, but still pretty accurate. The opening scene is a compilation of sci-fi-like sotryboards, and stock footage. The end credits feature a comparison of movie scenes and actual photos, remaining incredibly accurate to the source. Argo is an amazingly entertaining, exhilirating, and gripping drama/thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the credits roll. 5/5 stars.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Halloween reviews: The Butterfly Effect
Released in 2004, this blockbuster was a financial success, but a critical failure. I can't image why...
The Butterfly Effect:
Evan, a young college student, is constantly haunted by his horrible past, mainly due to blackouts. He learns from reading his childhood journals, that this is a family curse, where he can focus in on a moment in time, and travel back to fix the past. But due to the "butterfly effect", a hypothesis in chaos theory, the more he changes, the worse his present state becomes. he also discovers those childhood blackouts were in fact caused by his time travel. He begins to try to fix the past to prevent tragedies in his girlfriend Kayleigh's past, causing the destruction of his own... I'm not Ashton Kutcher's biggest fan, but he did a really good job in this film. His character has realistic reactions to what's happening, even though sometimes I felt he was a bit selfish, messing up everyone else's lives because one fucking person had a tragic life. Amy Smart plays Kayleigh, who most play several different characters: a scarred young woman, a sweet prep, a sympathetic best friend, a drug-addled hooker, and a broken woman. Elden Henson plays Lenny, the troubled young man who was scarred by the same events that haunt Evan's past. William Lee Scott plays Tommy, Kayleigh's disturbed, sadistic brother, who was fucked up as a kid, and it carries to his adulthood, he must also play several characters: the criminal, the sadist, and the reformed Christian in one of the alternate realities. Eric Stoltz makes a cameo as Kayleigh's fucked-up, pedo-father. Kevin Durand plays Carlos, Evan's Latino cell-mate in one of the realities, who helps Evan use his journals to travel back. The music is made up of rock music and alternative, which i like. There are few special effects, but after finally seeing this film, I see where the inspiration for the 2011 Mortal Kombat game. The direction and writing is clever, and the editing pretty slick and cool. This is a cool, smart, and slick sci-fi thriller that with entertain. 3/5 stars.
The Butterfly Effect:
Evan, a young college student, is constantly haunted by his horrible past, mainly due to blackouts. He learns from reading his childhood journals, that this is a family curse, where he can focus in on a moment in time, and travel back to fix the past. But due to the "butterfly effect", a hypothesis in chaos theory, the more he changes, the worse his present state becomes. he also discovers those childhood blackouts were in fact caused by his time travel. He begins to try to fix the past to prevent tragedies in his girlfriend Kayleigh's past, causing the destruction of his own... I'm not Ashton Kutcher's biggest fan, but he did a really good job in this film. His character has realistic reactions to what's happening, even though sometimes I felt he was a bit selfish, messing up everyone else's lives because one fucking person had a tragic life. Amy Smart plays Kayleigh, who most play several different characters: a scarred young woman, a sweet prep, a sympathetic best friend, a drug-addled hooker, and a broken woman. Elden Henson plays Lenny, the troubled young man who was scarred by the same events that haunt Evan's past. William Lee Scott plays Tommy, Kayleigh's disturbed, sadistic brother, who was fucked up as a kid, and it carries to his adulthood, he must also play several characters: the criminal, the sadist, and the reformed Christian in one of the alternate realities. Eric Stoltz makes a cameo as Kayleigh's fucked-up, pedo-father. Kevin Durand plays Carlos, Evan's Latino cell-mate in one of the realities, who helps Evan use his journals to travel back. The music is made up of rock music and alternative, which i like. There are few special effects, but after finally seeing this film, I see where the inspiration for the 2011 Mortal Kombat game. The direction and writing is clever, and the editing pretty slick and cool. This is a cool, smart, and slick sci-fi thriller that with entertain. 3/5 stars.
Monday, October 22, 2012
New review on mattsmonstermovies tomorrow
I'm doing a zombie review tomorrow on my other blog: mattsmonstermovies.blogspot.com
Halloween reviews: Night of the Living Dead
Today I look at George Romero's classic zombie film that redefined the zombie image in the public eye, and made a strong political statement...
Night of the Living Dead:
The plot follows a woman named Barbara, who visits her father's grave with her brother. When her brother teases her about some creepy corpses haunting them, her brother is killed by a slow-walking and stumbling, mindless man. Barbara narrowly escapes, and takes refuge at a farm house with a white family and Ben, an African-American man whot akes charge of the house. But, when the living dead, or "zombies", start to overrun the place, the survivors begin to expect the apocalypse is coming, and begin to lose hope, as thedead just keep on coming, and with limited resources, will the people survive the night? This film was constorversial due to it's graphic content and raw violence, and this (and Bonnie and Clyde) were responsible for the official introduction of the R-rating, as children ran from the theater screaming, expecting another cheap B-picture, getting a raw and disturbing zombie film. This was shown in a double feature with a Dr. Who film called Doctor Who and the Daleks, and I think most people didn't make it to the sci-fi film. Duane Jones plays Ben, a strong black character who represented the black rights movement, as he slaps around a white woman, and takes over the farmer's house, saying "I'm in charge!" Judith O'Dea plays Barbara, the typical horror movie woman: can't take care of herself, always needing rescue, etc. She represents the uptight, dependent society, and represents it's crash during the apocalypse. The atmosphere is great, and the lighting amazing in the black and white format. The violence is pretty tame now, but in the 1960's, this was hardcore stuff. Night of the Living Dead is an influential and well-acted horror film, and still holds up today, even if the political statement is a bit 60's. 5/5 stars.
Night of the Living Dead:
The plot follows a woman named Barbara, who visits her father's grave with her brother. When her brother teases her about some creepy corpses haunting them, her brother is killed by a slow-walking and stumbling, mindless man. Barbara narrowly escapes, and takes refuge at a farm house with a white family and Ben, an African-American man whot akes charge of the house. But, when the living dead, or "zombies", start to overrun the place, the survivors begin to expect the apocalypse is coming, and begin to lose hope, as thedead just keep on coming, and with limited resources, will the people survive the night? This film was constorversial due to it's graphic content and raw violence, and this (and Bonnie and Clyde) were responsible for the official introduction of the R-rating, as children ran from the theater screaming, expecting another cheap B-picture, getting a raw and disturbing zombie film. This was shown in a double feature with a Dr. Who film called Doctor Who and the Daleks, and I think most people didn't make it to the sci-fi film. Duane Jones plays Ben, a strong black character who represented the black rights movement, as he slaps around a white woman, and takes over the farmer's house, saying "I'm in charge!" Judith O'Dea plays Barbara, the typical horror movie woman: can't take care of herself, always needing rescue, etc. She represents the uptight, dependent society, and represents it's crash during the apocalypse. The atmosphere is great, and the lighting amazing in the black and white format. The violence is pretty tame now, but in the 1960's, this was hardcore stuff. Night of the Living Dead is an influential and well-acted horror film, and still holds up today, even if the political statement is a bit 60's. 5/5 stars.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Martin McDonagh's new film
Today I review the new film by Martin McDonagh, of In Bruges fame, the new crime-comedy Seven Psychopaths.
Seven Psychopaths:
If you like weird and dark comedy, funny characters, and cool action and violence, you'll love this slick new thriller from Martin McDonagh. When screenwriter Marty, his best friend Billy, and Billy's friend Hans steal a Shih Tzu, they have no idea who they're dealing with. They find out they have stolen from mob boss Charlie Costello, a psycho with an insane love of his dog. The friends go on an action-packed, comic adventure to evade this crazy gangster. Now, that's as far as I can go because I'll run amuck of spoiling the plot, and that's something I don't want to do. The "seven psychos" of the poster and trailer are actually not the psychos in the film. Well, some of them are, but I can't go too much into that without, well, spoiling the film. All I can say wihtout spoiling too much is that Abby Cornish and Olga Kurylenko are not part of the psychos, and do not have nearly as large a role as they appear to have in the trailer. What I can say is the cast and writing are excellent. It's like if a Quentin Tarantino film mixed with a dark comedy from Troy Duffy, and then fused together with a slick film from Guy Ritchie. The film mixes many genres: crime, thriller, dark comedy, and action. The film has many twists that will leave audience members as pleasantly surprised as I was. The trailer doesn't show nearly as many funny lines as the film has. This is a film that will most likely show up on my best films of the year list, because Colin Farrell (in his best movie in years), Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, and Woody Harrelson all give spectacular, weird, and funny perofrmances that play to each actor's strengths, but somehow all feel very similar, and this and the weird and goofy plot and writing, give the film a very surreal and strange flavor that really reminds you of work by Edgar Wright, and really astonishes. With great writing and directing, a brilliant cast, and a plot that feels both strange but not all that insane, I can safely say that Seven Psychopaths will please a lot of people, and may be Oscar-worthy. 4.5/5 stars.
Seven Psychopaths:
If you like weird and dark comedy, funny characters, and cool action and violence, you'll love this slick new thriller from Martin McDonagh. When screenwriter Marty, his best friend Billy, and Billy's friend Hans steal a Shih Tzu, they have no idea who they're dealing with. They find out they have stolen from mob boss Charlie Costello, a psycho with an insane love of his dog. The friends go on an action-packed, comic adventure to evade this crazy gangster. Now, that's as far as I can go because I'll run amuck of spoiling the plot, and that's something I don't want to do. The "seven psychos" of the poster and trailer are actually not the psychos in the film. Well, some of them are, but I can't go too much into that without, well, spoiling the film. All I can say wihtout spoiling too much is that Abby Cornish and Olga Kurylenko are not part of the psychos, and do not have nearly as large a role as they appear to have in the trailer. What I can say is the cast and writing are excellent. It's like if a Quentin Tarantino film mixed with a dark comedy from Troy Duffy, and then fused together with a slick film from Guy Ritchie. The film mixes many genres: crime, thriller, dark comedy, and action. The film has many twists that will leave audience members as pleasantly surprised as I was. The trailer doesn't show nearly as many funny lines as the film has. This is a film that will most likely show up on my best films of the year list, because Colin Farrell (in his best movie in years), Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, and Woody Harrelson all give spectacular, weird, and funny perofrmances that play to each actor's strengths, but somehow all feel very similar, and this and the weird and goofy plot and writing, give the film a very surreal and strange flavor that really reminds you of work by Edgar Wright, and really astonishes. With great writing and directing, a brilliant cast, and a plot that feels both strange but not all that insane, I can safely say that Seven Psychopaths will please a lot of people, and may be Oscar-worthy. 4.5/5 stars.
Halloween reviews: Paranormal Activity 4
Last night, I saw Paranormal Activity 4, the fourth in the line of successful "found-footage" films. To be brief, I liked the first film, enjoyed the second one, and was enterained by the third (my favorite one). But this one, meh.... (Also, check out my other blog: mattsmonstermovies.blogspot.com, and check out spill.com, Jeremy Jahns, MrRepzion, and Film Brain's reviews of this movie.)
Paranormal Activity 4:
Teenager Alex and her boyfriend Ben begin noticing strange things about Alex's new neighbors. One night, Robbie, the neighbor's kid, is left alone after his mom (Katie from the other films) is taken to the hospital. Robbie has no other known relatives and must stay with Alex's family for a few days. Strange things begin happening around Robbie, but even after he's gone, the "activity" sticks aorund, and has a focus on Alex's adopted brother Wyatt. The problem with this film is that it treads on old ground. They dig up dirt on a witch cult, which would be interesting, except it was done better in the last movie. And sometimes the characters (as usual) use cameras when no one would use a camera. They only use webcams, which means they carry their laptops everywhere. That's even more implausable. Also, it takes everything good about the brilliant and disturbing horror film Sinister (see my blog mattsmonstermovies.blogspot.com for that review) and flips it on it's head. Instead of having a good main character which the director focuses on, they focus on how much dumb shit they can cram in. Instead of haunting and creepy music, they have no music whatsoever. Instead of a mature, older character that the audience can still relate to, which makes the film more adult; they have two dumb teens that aren't interesting whatsoever, slasher characters at best. Instead of a mysterious and terrifying villain that is used effectively and briefly, they show the demon as much as they can, no matter how gimmicky they do it. Instead of a disturbing ending that rules out a sequel, they leave it open-ended in case they do make a sequel. Just don't see this movie, don't give these hacks any more money, and don't ensure a fifth film. This is a disgrace to Paranormal Activity and the found footage genre in general. Blair Witch 2 was better than this shit! I can't believe Oren Peli produced this film, after directing the original Activity, going through all these motions to make it, including shooting the thing in his own home, has now had his vision shit on. I can't believe this film shares producers with Insidious and Sinister. Damn, Paranormal Activity 4 isn't worth the time, money, or effort. 1/5 stars.
(And the poster's pretty cheap, too.)
Paranormal Activity 4:
Teenager Alex and her boyfriend Ben begin noticing strange things about Alex's new neighbors. One night, Robbie, the neighbor's kid, is left alone after his mom (Katie from the other films) is taken to the hospital. Robbie has no other known relatives and must stay with Alex's family for a few days. Strange things begin happening around Robbie, but even after he's gone, the "activity" sticks aorund, and has a focus on Alex's adopted brother Wyatt. The problem with this film is that it treads on old ground. They dig up dirt on a witch cult, which would be interesting, except it was done better in the last movie. And sometimes the characters (as usual) use cameras when no one would use a camera. They only use webcams, which means they carry their laptops everywhere. That's even more implausable. Also, it takes everything good about the brilliant and disturbing horror film Sinister (see my blog mattsmonstermovies.blogspot.com for that review) and flips it on it's head. Instead of having a good main character which the director focuses on, they focus on how much dumb shit they can cram in. Instead of haunting and creepy music, they have no music whatsoever. Instead of a mature, older character that the audience can still relate to, which makes the film more adult; they have two dumb teens that aren't interesting whatsoever, slasher characters at best. Instead of a mysterious and terrifying villain that is used effectively and briefly, they show the demon as much as they can, no matter how gimmicky they do it. Instead of a disturbing ending that rules out a sequel, they leave it open-ended in case they do make a sequel. Just don't see this movie, don't give these hacks any more money, and don't ensure a fifth film. This is a disgrace to Paranormal Activity and the found footage genre in general. Blair Witch 2 was better than this shit! I can't believe Oren Peli produced this film, after directing the original Activity, going through all these motions to make it, including shooting the thing in his own home, has now had his vision shit on. I can't believe this film shares producers with Insidious and Sinister. Damn, Paranormal Activity 4 isn't worth the time, money, or effort. 1/5 stars.
(And the poster's pretty cheap, too.)
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Coming up: more retorspectives, more reviews, more horror, going into mid-November.
More horror, monsters, sci-fi, and retrospectives, into mid-November, where I'll transfer to Christmas movies. Good holiday season.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Halloween reviews: Shaun of the Dead
Today, I look at Edgar Wright's famous British horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead, starring British comedy duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. (Dont forget to see my reviews of Sinister, Jeepers Creepers, Hot Fuzz, and Tales from the Crypt on my other blog: mattsmonstermovies.blogspot.com)
Shaun of the Dead:
With a title that parodies one of the most famous zombie films ever made, you'd expect this to be the top zombie comedy. Well, I've got news, this blew me away. I mean, wow. Ithought this was a little over-rated when I started hearing about it, but now that I've finally watched it, I consider it not only a great comedy/spoof, but also a pretty damn good B-horror movie. The opening DVD menu and titles parody a 1970's exploitation flick, with goofy music to add to the charm. The story follows 30-something slacker Shaun, who is at an odd spot in his life. He has a near-dead relationship with his girlfriend Liz, and a strained relationship with his step-father. His best friend, Ed, is blamed for Shaun's laziness, despite trying to help Shaun out. Then, a zombie attack happens, and Shaun decides it's time to be a hero. He tries to save his loving mother and Liz, but, is it too late for Shaun to make up for his faults and be a good guy? And due to the constant swarms of zombies poring in, the hope for survival begins to diminish. This is a really well-made, gory, hilarious comedy with Wright's signature editing and directing style and the duo of Pegg and Frost's British wit. I've enjoyed other zombie satires and semi-comedies like Fido (which I highly reocmmend), Zombieland (a very effective, fun comedy) and Return of the Living Dead (a zombie cult classic, which is scary and funny), but this is the best of the bunch due to the chemistry between Frost and Pegg. Pegg doesn't come off like some slacker protagonists, as a stupid, pot-smoking jackass who's just lazy, but comes off as a likeable guy who just doesn't know what to do with his life. He's also funny as hell, as shown in the scene where he leaves his house, and continually misses all the cues of an apocalypse, like an idiot. Frost is also a likeable guy, who's not a total douche bag slacker, but feels like a guy who just likes to lay around a lot, and who's also a little slow. Kate Ashfield plays Liz. If this was an American film, she would be far more unrealistic and simple: either a way-too-happy girl who always forgives Shaun, or a bitchy and vindictive woman who never lets Shaun have a break. Here, she is likeable, sweet, and is reasonable, like a real person. She dumps Shaun for being a slacker and forgetful of her, but forgives him and bonds with him when he chooses to protect her from the zombies. Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran plays Dianne and David, a young couple who are Liz's best friends, and are also reasonable characters who have realistic reactions to certain situations. They play the "straight men", the normal characters who just react to all the madness and stupidity around them. Penelope Wilton plays Barbara, Shaun's mom. She's likeable and caring, and loves her son as much as he loves her. She's almost oblivious to the zombie attack, which is where some of the humor comes from. Renowned British actor Bill Nighy (in his usual Edgar Wright cameo) plays Phillip, Shaun's estranged step-father. He leaves a lasting impression for such a small role. He at first comes off as an uber-serious asshole, and Shaun dislikes him very much. But, Phillip reveals a lighter side when Shaun tries to get him to a hospital when he is bitten. The characters are only as good as the writing, and Wright and Penn do a great job. The characters have realistic dialogue. The character relationships and interactions make sense: step-father and son are estranged, boyfriend and girlfriend aren't perfect, buddies get in fights, etc. The comedy is great, too. Pegg and Frost's chemistry and funny moments carry the film. They became so popular because of this film, they became the stars of Wright's next feature Hot Fuzz, and then made cameos in Wright's fake trailer Don't, (created for Grindhouse), and then to being in the American films Paul and Run Fat Boy Run. They even were in Spielberg's Tintin, which was written by Wright, as the comedic duo Thompson and Thomson. And, as well as acting, many horror films are helped by the score. This film has a cheesy, fun score reminiscent of B-movies and exploitation films. It helps the B-movie feel escalate. Shaun of the Dead is the best zombie comedy ever made (so far). It's well-written, funny, scary, and gory, often at the same time 4/5 stars.
Shaun of the Dead:
With a title that parodies one of the most famous zombie films ever made, you'd expect this to be the top zombie comedy. Well, I've got news, this blew me away. I mean, wow. Ithought this was a little over-rated when I started hearing about it, but now that I've finally watched it, I consider it not only a great comedy/spoof, but also a pretty damn good B-horror movie. The opening DVD menu and titles parody a 1970's exploitation flick, with goofy music to add to the charm. The story follows 30-something slacker Shaun, who is at an odd spot in his life. He has a near-dead relationship with his girlfriend Liz, and a strained relationship with his step-father. His best friend, Ed, is blamed for Shaun's laziness, despite trying to help Shaun out. Then, a zombie attack happens, and Shaun decides it's time to be a hero. He tries to save his loving mother and Liz, but, is it too late for Shaun to make up for his faults and be a good guy? And due to the constant swarms of zombies poring in, the hope for survival begins to diminish. This is a really well-made, gory, hilarious comedy with Wright's signature editing and directing style and the duo of Pegg and Frost's British wit. I've enjoyed other zombie satires and semi-comedies like Fido (which I highly reocmmend), Zombieland (a very effective, fun comedy) and Return of the Living Dead (a zombie cult classic, which is scary and funny), but this is the best of the bunch due to the chemistry between Frost and Pegg. Pegg doesn't come off like some slacker protagonists, as a stupid, pot-smoking jackass who's just lazy, but comes off as a likeable guy who just doesn't know what to do with his life. He's also funny as hell, as shown in the scene where he leaves his house, and continually misses all the cues of an apocalypse, like an idiot. Frost is also a likeable guy, who's not a total douche bag slacker, but feels like a guy who just likes to lay around a lot, and who's also a little slow. Kate Ashfield plays Liz. If this was an American film, she would be far more unrealistic and simple: either a way-too-happy girl who always forgives Shaun, or a bitchy and vindictive woman who never lets Shaun have a break. Here, she is likeable, sweet, and is reasonable, like a real person. She dumps Shaun for being a slacker and forgetful of her, but forgives him and bonds with him when he chooses to protect her from the zombies. Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran plays Dianne and David, a young couple who are Liz's best friends, and are also reasonable characters who have realistic reactions to certain situations. They play the "straight men", the normal characters who just react to all the madness and stupidity around them. Penelope Wilton plays Barbara, Shaun's mom. She's likeable and caring, and loves her son as much as he loves her. She's almost oblivious to the zombie attack, which is where some of the humor comes from. Renowned British actor Bill Nighy (in his usual Edgar Wright cameo) plays Phillip, Shaun's estranged step-father. He leaves a lasting impression for such a small role. He at first comes off as an uber-serious asshole, and Shaun dislikes him very much. But, Phillip reveals a lighter side when Shaun tries to get him to a hospital when he is bitten. The characters are only as good as the writing, and Wright and Penn do a great job. The characters have realistic dialogue. The character relationships and interactions make sense: step-father and son are estranged, boyfriend and girlfriend aren't perfect, buddies get in fights, etc. The comedy is great, too. Pegg and Frost's chemistry and funny moments carry the film. They became so popular because of this film, they became the stars of Wright's next feature Hot Fuzz, and then made cameos in Wright's fake trailer Don't, (created for Grindhouse), and then to being in the American films Paul and Run Fat Boy Run. They even were in Spielberg's Tintin, which was written by Wright, as the comedic duo Thompson and Thomson. And, as well as acting, many horror films are helped by the score. This film has a cheesy, fun score reminiscent of B-movies and exploitation films. It helps the B-movie feel escalate. Shaun of the Dead is the best zombie comedy ever made (so far). It's well-written, funny, scary, and gory, often at the same time 4/5 stars.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
More Halloween reviews
Do to schooling, I've been busy, but, I'm ready to start up my horror reviews again. Can't wait.....
Monday, October 15, 2012
Halloween reviews: The Cabin in the Woods
I know this is an odd choice, seeing that it's so recent, but I'm gonna review it anyway, I look at Joss Whedon (Avengers, Dr. Horrible, Firefly, Buffy) and Drew Goddard's (Cloverfield) clever, gruesome, amazing deconstruction of horror films, The Cabin in the Woods. (Spoilers) (don't forget about my other blog: mattsmonstermovies.blogspot.com for more reviews!)
The Cabin in the Woods:
Five college friends, each representing a horror film trope (despite being pretty intelligent), go out to the jock's cousin's old cabin in the woods. They discover a basement full of creepy artifacts, each unlocking a gruesome nightmare creature. They choose a diary, which unleashes a zombified family of pain-obsessed cultists, all while being watched by an evil corporation, who have their own dark goals. Funny enough, despite the creepy-looking poster, this film is hilarious. This truly decontruscts the horror genre, even more so than Scream, and better yet, they don't make constant horror movie references to do that. Most of the horror creatures revealed at the climax are tributes to classic genre tropes and films. The characters are great. Kristen Connolly is Dana, the smart sexy girl who turns into a bad-ass chick near the end. She's really likeable, and one of the few characters to not start to fall under the spell of the corporation. Frank Kranz is Marty, the stoner kid who is a better Shaggy than Mathew Lillard ever was. (No offense to Lillard.) He has the funniest scenes in the movie, and is immune to the corporation's spells due to his marijuana habit. He is the heart of the film, and you root for him to live. Chris Hemsworth plays Curt, the sociology major who is brainwashed into being the alpha male jock. Anna Hutchison plays Jules, Curt's girlfriend and Dana's best friend/roommate. She is smart, but is brainwashed into being the dumb blonde. Jesse Williams plays Holden, Curt's buddy whom Jules tries to set up with Dana. He's a nice enough guy, and represents the smart hero. Sigourney Weaver has a funny ending cameo. With good actors, you need a good script. And who better than Joss Whedon. He's written some amazing cult TV shows, a great superhero epic, and co-wrote Toy Story before he was famous. He and Goddard are true genre fans, and bring to life every possible nightmare, goofy or truly terrifying, possible, and put it on screen. The script is truly funny (many of the scenes are played for laughs), but is scary when it needs to be. Funny enough, Whedon's two films this year (this and Avengers) were funnier than most comedies this year, even though they were horror and comic book movies. The special effects were phenomenal. Most of them were done practically, which was a very challenging feat, but there were some CG creatures, but they weren't given nearly as much attention as the prosthetics and animatronics. It's really amazing to see on the special features how some of the stuff had to be pulled off. The climax of the film features the two leads descending into the factory of the corporation, and unleashing every horror in the place, a great, albeit short, sequence of true horror, gore, and dark comedy. The music is really good, too. Ranging from heavy metal soundtrack to creepy musical score. Overall, The Cabin in the Woods is a hilarious, surreal, and creepy deconstruction and "revitalizing" of the slasher genre and horror genre in general. 5/5 stars.
The Cabin in the Woods:
Five college friends, each representing a horror film trope (despite being pretty intelligent), go out to the jock's cousin's old cabin in the woods. They discover a basement full of creepy artifacts, each unlocking a gruesome nightmare creature. They choose a diary, which unleashes a zombified family of pain-obsessed cultists, all while being watched by an evil corporation, who have their own dark goals. Funny enough, despite the creepy-looking poster, this film is hilarious. This truly decontruscts the horror genre, even more so than Scream, and better yet, they don't make constant horror movie references to do that. Most of the horror creatures revealed at the climax are tributes to classic genre tropes and films. The characters are great. Kristen Connolly is Dana, the smart sexy girl who turns into a bad-ass chick near the end. She's really likeable, and one of the few characters to not start to fall under the spell of the corporation. Frank Kranz is Marty, the stoner kid who is a better Shaggy than Mathew Lillard ever was. (No offense to Lillard.) He has the funniest scenes in the movie, and is immune to the corporation's spells due to his marijuana habit. He is the heart of the film, and you root for him to live. Chris Hemsworth plays Curt, the sociology major who is brainwashed into being the alpha male jock. Anna Hutchison plays Jules, Curt's girlfriend and Dana's best friend/roommate. She is smart, but is brainwashed into being the dumb blonde. Jesse Williams plays Holden, Curt's buddy whom Jules tries to set up with Dana. He's a nice enough guy, and represents the smart hero. Sigourney Weaver has a funny ending cameo. With good actors, you need a good script. And who better than Joss Whedon. He's written some amazing cult TV shows, a great superhero epic, and co-wrote Toy Story before he was famous. He and Goddard are true genre fans, and bring to life every possible nightmare, goofy or truly terrifying, possible, and put it on screen. The script is truly funny (many of the scenes are played for laughs), but is scary when it needs to be. Funny enough, Whedon's two films this year (this and Avengers) were funnier than most comedies this year, even though they were horror and comic book movies. The special effects were phenomenal. Most of them were done practically, which was a very challenging feat, but there were some CG creatures, but they weren't given nearly as much attention as the prosthetics and animatronics. It's really amazing to see on the special features how some of the stuff had to be pulled off. The climax of the film features the two leads descending into the factory of the corporation, and unleashing every horror in the place, a great, albeit short, sequence of true horror, gore, and dark comedy. The music is really good, too. Ranging from heavy metal soundtrack to creepy musical score. Overall, The Cabin in the Woods is a hilarious, surreal, and creepy deconstruction and "revitalizing" of the slasher genre and horror genre in general. 5/5 stars.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Twilight Zone Retrospective Part I: Top Ten Episodes
Today, I look at The Twilight Zone, possibly the most beloved anthology series of all time, and without a doubt one of the greatest TV shows ever created. Rod Serling's stories and teleplays were genius, and it truly shows, as the writing, actors, and characters make up for the low budget, bad effects, and laughable monsters. Sometimes, the monster of the story was a person, or sometimes there was no monster. The show was so good, it spawned a 1983 anthology film (with segments directed by Steven Spielberg and John Landis), a remake series (hosted by Forrest Whitaker, with a significantly larger black cast), and a theme park ride. (Disney's elaborate and brilliant thrill ride "Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror".) Today, I go over the best and worst episodes and endings, best and worst monsters, shock moments, etc. So, let's get started. (Spoilers.)
Best episodes:
10. Monsters Are Due On Maple Street- Despite it's low budget, this episode focuses on paranoia and the self-destruction of a neighborhood, during an apparent alien invasion. The characters are great, and the way a friendly neighborhood tears itself apart through paranoia and fear in a matter of hours shows how savage humans truly are. Bad budget, great episode.
9. Night of the Meek- A surprisingly sweet Christmas episode, about a drunken hobo who gets an annual job as a mall Santa, who thinks he's useless, but, Saint Nick passes on the torch of bringing joy to kids, giving him a life's purpose, and fulfilling his destiny.
8. The Dummy- Let's face it, dolls are creepy. This is far scarier than any "killer doll" movies. It follows a famous ventriloquist, who hides a strange secret about his dummy. More like Magic than Child's Play. Good episode.
7. A Game of Pool- A great episode. A pool player, played by Jack Klugman, wants to challenge the pool champ, "Fats" Brown. Only problem? Fats is dead. But, the pool shark gets his wish, and the ghost of Fats challenges him to a game of pool. That's the episode, a game of pool. But due to the dialogue, which goes into serious subject matter like the matters of death, the episode is lifted into the gallery of greats. Jonathan Winters, a comedic actor, plays the dramatic role of Fats Waller very well, as does Jack Klugman does as the pool shark.
6. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet- I put in this one for sheer cheesiness value, and due to being a very famous episode. William Shatner plays a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown, on a plane ride, he begins to see a devious gremlin on the wing of the plane, tearing the plane apart.he may be going crazy, or it may be real, but he tries to hold the breakdown in, and the gremlin begins to taunt him, trying to urge a freakout out of him. The gremlin is infamous for it's goofy appearance, which was fixed in the remake of the episode in the 1983 movie. The ending is good, and the story over-the-top, but overall a good episode.
5. Printer's Devil- A down-on-his-luck independent newspaper editor hires on a new writer, a sleazy old guy named Smith, who helps the paper turn into a top local news source, due to Smith having a talent for catching the most juicy and nasty stories. unfortunately, the editor notices the stories are conceived sometimes right before they even happen. He begins to think Smith knows more than he's telling, and may even be the Devil himself. This is a great episode. Great actor Burgess Meredith plays Smith, with his crooked cigar and grimy voice, he's a really odd and somewhat creepy guy. He was in two other episodes, but this is his only villainous role in the show. The rest of the cast are good, too. Another episode with no real sci-fi or horror monster, and the low budget doesn't matter here. Burgess Meredith completely steals the show.
4. The Masks- This is a truly disturbing episode. Down in Louisiana, during Mardis Gras, an elderly, rich bachelor invites his remaining relatives over during his slow, last hours on his death bed. The relatives are his daughter, her two kids, and her husband. They embody different bad characteristics: self-pity, greed, sadism, and vanity. They all are selfish, and are forced to wear the masks until 12 midnight, or the bachelor will not let them have a share of his will. The twist ending is great, and most of the episode is just an onslaught of insults and harsh words. The disturbing factor comes from what happens to these people at the end, how the rich bachelor get his revenge on them for being assholes to him throughout their lives.
3. It's a Good Life- This tells the story of a small town in the Midwest. A young kid who has strange powers basically controls the townsfolk. He doesn't let them leave, and transports anything or anybody who even slightly displeases him to a mysterious alternate world known as the "cornfield". The townsfolk don't want to leave, not knowing if the world around them is normal, has been distorted by the kid, or just destroyed. No people have rolled into town for years, and no one will kill the kid out of fear of their world literally falling apart. Billy Mumy, of Lost in Space fame, (the second time a Space cast member appeared on the show) is great as the kid, who gives a truly threatening performance. There's real tension, as you never know what will set the kid off, from a disrupting noise during a music session, or people insulting him, there's no end to obscure things this kid hates. A truly unsettling episode, as killer kids are just weird.
2. Walking Distance- A great, sweet episode. It starts with a businessman's car breaking down, and he has to take a stroll down the road as his car is repaired at an auto shop. He visits his small town, which was within "walking distance", and finds it hasn't changed much. He then realizes he has walked back in time to his childhood. In an attempt to reconnect with the past, he just causes misery and grief, resulting in a bittersweet ending. A well-acted and written episode, with no real horror elements in it.
1. Living Doll- This follows the story of an asshole, his wife, and his stepdaughter. The dad gets upset when the wife and girl come home with an expensive doll.The dad throws a fit and get rid of it, but the doll continues to come back, and become more antagonistic to the father. Hands down, scariest killer doll story put to screen. You never know if it's insanity, vengeful pranks played by the mom and daughter, or the doll's really alive. It's never revealed until the end, which is a great shock ending. The acting is good, the suspense as tense as any episode, and the fact it doesn't reveal if it's the doll or not until the end if a good move, better than in any Chucky movie or a movie like Dead Silence where they say it right off the bat. Great horror episode, that proves you don't need a big budget to be scary.
Runner-ups: Eye of the Beholder, Little Girl Lost, The Little People, Five Characters in Search of an Exit, To Serve Man.
Continued in part II!(Don't forget to see my Tales/Crypt retrospective and review of Sinister on mattsmonstermovies.blogspot.com)
1. An example of the gremlin from "Nightmare": 2. Bad-ass pinball machine:
Best episodes:
10. Monsters Are Due On Maple Street- Despite it's low budget, this episode focuses on paranoia and the self-destruction of a neighborhood, during an apparent alien invasion. The characters are great, and the way a friendly neighborhood tears itself apart through paranoia and fear in a matter of hours shows how savage humans truly are. Bad budget, great episode.
9. Night of the Meek- A surprisingly sweet Christmas episode, about a drunken hobo who gets an annual job as a mall Santa, who thinks he's useless, but, Saint Nick passes on the torch of bringing joy to kids, giving him a life's purpose, and fulfilling his destiny.
8. The Dummy- Let's face it, dolls are creepy. This is far scarier than any "killer doll" movies. It follows a famous ventriloquist, who hides a strange secret about his dummy. More like Magic than Child's Play. Good episode.
7. A Game of Pool- A great episode. A pool player, played by Jack Klugman, wants to challenge the pool champ, "Fats" Brown. Only problem? Fats is dead. But, the pool shark gets his wish, and the ghost of Fats challenges him to a game of pool. That's the episode, a game of pool. But due to the dialogue, which goes into serious subject matter like the matters of death, the episode is lifted into the gallery of greats. Jonathan Winters, a comedic actor, plays the dramatic role of Fats Waller very well, as does Jack Klugman does as the pool shark.
6. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet- I put in this one for sheer cheesiness value, and due to being a very famous episode. William Shatner plays a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown, on a plane ride, he begins to see a devious gremlin on the wing of the plane, tearing the plane apart.he may be going crazy, or it may be real, but he tries to hold the breakdown in, and the gremlin begins to taunt him, trying to urge a freakout out of him. The gremlin is infamous for it's goofy appearance, which was fixed in the remake of the episode in the 1983 movie. The ending is good, and the story over-the-top, but overall a good episode.
5. Printer's Devil- A down-on-his-luck independent newspaper editor hires on a new writer, a sleazy old guy named Smith, who helps the paper turn into a top local news source, due to Smith having a talent for catching the most juicy and nasty stories. unfortunately, the editor notices the stories are conceived sometimes right before they even happen. He begins to think Smith knows more than he's telling, and may even be the Devil himself. This is a great episode. Great actor Burgess Meredith plays Smith, with his crooked cigar and grimy voice, he's a really odd and somewhat creepy guy. He was in two other episodes, but this is his only villainous role in the show. The rest of the cast are good, too. Another episode with no real sci-fi or horror monster, and the low budget doesn't matter here. Burgess Meredith completely steals the show.
4. The Masks- This is a truly disturbing episode. Down in Louisiana, during Mardis Gras, an elderly, rich bachelor invites his remaining relatives over during his slow, last hours on his death bed. The relatives are his daughter, her two kids, and her husband. They embody different bad characteristics: self-pity, greed, sadism, and vanity. They all are selfish, and are forced to wear the masks until 12 midnight, or the bachelor will not let them have a share of his will. The twist ending is great, and most of the episode is just an onslaught of insults and harsh words. The disturbing factor comes from what happens to these people at the end, how the rich bachelor get his revenge on them for being assholes to him throughout their lives.
3. It's a Good Life- This tells the story of a small town in the Midwest. A young kid who has strange powers basically controls the townsfolk. He doesn't let them leave, and transports anything or anybody who even slightly displeases him to a mysterious alternate world known as the "cornfield". The townsfolk don't want to leave, not knowing if the world around them is normal, has been distorted by the kid, or just destroyed. No people have rolled into town for years, and no one will kill the kid out of fear of their world literally falling apart. Billy Mumy, of Lost in Space fame, (the second time a Space cast member appeared on the show) is great as the kid, who gives a truly threatening performance. There's real tension, as you never know what will set the kid off, from a disrupting noise during a music session, or people insulting him, there's no end to obscure things this kid hates. A truly unsettling episode, as killer kids are just weird.
2. Walking Distance- A great, sweet episode. It starts with a businessman's car breaking down, and he has to take a stroll down the road as his car is repaired at an auto shop. He visits his small town, which was within "walking distance", and finds it hasn't changed much. He then realizes he has walked back in time to his childhood. In an attempt to reconnect with the past, he just causes misery and grief, resulting in a bittersweet ending. A well-acted and written episode, with no real horror elements in it.
1. Living Doll- This follows the story of an asshole, his wife, and his stepdaughter. The dad gets upset when the wife and girl come home with an expensive doll.The dad throws a fit and get rid of it, but the doll continues to come back, and become more antagonistic to the father. Hands down, scariest killer doll story put to screen. You never know if it's insanity, vengeful pranks played by the mom and daughter, or the doll's really alive. It's never revealed until the end, which is a great shock ending. The acting is good, the suspense as tense as any episode, and the fact it doesn't reveal if it's the doll or not until the end if a good move, better than in any Chucky movie or a movie like Dead Silence where they say it right off the bat. Great horror episode, that proves you don't need a big budget to be scary.
Runner-ups: Eye of the Beholder, Little Girl Lost, The Little People, Five Characters in Search of an Exit, To Serve Man.
Continued in part II!(Don't forget to see my Tales/Crypt retrospective and review of Sinister on mattsmonstermovies.blogspot.com)
1. An example of the gremlin from "Nightmare": 2. Bad-ass pinball machine:
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Something big is coming...
I have not done a review for Halloween on my blog today, and have not done one on mattsmonstermovies for the past two days. Why? Mainly I've been busy, but, something big is coming. A Tales from the Crypt and Twilight Zone retrospective. i take a look at two of the best horror anthology shows ever created, written and produced by some great writers and filmmakers, and hosted by two icons: writer Rod Serling (who also hosted Night Gallery) and The Cryptkeeper, voiced by John Kassir. The shows proved so popular, they spawned movies, theme park rides, knock-off shows (The Outer Limits, Tales from the Darkside) and even spawned remake shows. Also, check out Cinemassacre.com's Top 10 episodes lists from both these shows. Hope you're pleased with the final result, being released tomorrow and Friday.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Halloween reviews: The Crow
Today, although not a horror film, I will look at a gothic cult action movie from the 90's, based on the groundbreaking comic book series by James O'Barr. Today I look at The Crow.
The Crow:
A young couple: Eric Draven and Shelley Webster are brutally murdered on "Devil's Night", a gangsters' wild night of riots and mayhem, which takes place on October 30th, in inner city Detroit. Their wedding was to be the very nexy day, Halloween. This leaves their friend Sarah, a young girl, without caretakers except for her drug-addicted mom. A year later, the undead Eric rises from the grave, guided by a mysterious, supernatural crow, to avenge his girlfriend and kill the gang members. But, their boss, drug dealing psycho Top Dollar may have other plans for Eric. The cast for the film are terrific. Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee's son in his final performance) plays Eric. He is convincing as the vengeful, but loving Eric. He only has two allies: Sarah, and an old Detroit cop, Albrecht. He cares for these two, treating Albrecht as a sidekick, and Sarah as a little sister. He changes several people for the better in the film, but does exact brutal vengeance on those who deserve it. Speaking of which, Rochelle Davis is great as Sarah. She's a curious, independent, and funny little girl. Ernie Hudson (Ghostbsuters) plays Sergeant Albrecht. He's a divorced, aging cop. He's not Jim Gordon, he's old, but he's not very smart, he's out of shape, and he's not a very good shot. The opposite of the bad-ass Comissioner Gordon, although, he can hold his own in a fight, and proves to be a useful ally. Michael Wincott plays Top Dollar (even though his name isn't stated in the film), the devious, drug-dealing villain of the film. He's cool, and pure evil. He knows he's the villain and enjoys it. He does cruel, horrible things, but you can't seem to hate him. Bai Ling plays Myca, Dollar's half-sister and lover. She's pretty freaky, like him, and knows about the supernatural. Tony Todd (Candyman) plays Grange, Dollar's tall, indimating bodyguard. He's a small part, but he's memorable because Todd is so shadowy and has swagger, he's cool and creepy at the same time. James O'Barr (the creator) makes a cameo in a scene where The Crow blows up a pawn shop. The action scenes and special effects are great. From Eric's brief encounters with Tin-Tin, Fun-Boy, T-Bird, and Skank (the gangster who killed him), to the shoot-out at Top Dollar's, and the final showdown at the cathedral, the action is cool, slick, and stylish. The ways Eric comes up with the kill his enemies are truly gruesome and unique. From stabbing all major organs in alphabetical order, to overdosing someone on morphine, to blowing up someone in a car with all their own weapons, the deaths will disgust you, but they happen to characters you hate. Unfortunately, during the encounter with Fun-Boy, Michael Massee, the actor protraying the thug, shot a fake bullet during a re-shoot, and hit Lee in a major artery in a freak accident. It killed Lee, like his father, during the shoot, and Massee refused to work for a year out of guilt. Many critics predicted this would have been Lee's breakthrough role, and he would have become a major 90's star afterwards. Well, maybe in some alternate universe Lee survived and he became a major Hollywood player. The music is tragic and memorable. Haunting, touching, depressing, and uplifting, The Crow has a very moving and unique score. The look of the film is like Burton's Batman, gothic, artsy, and haunting. Though, this film's Detroit makes Gotham look like colorful utopia. I would rather live in real Detroit than here. Alex Proyas, director of I Robot, and Dark City, does a great job with the cinematography. Some of the film looks like straight out of a comic book, and it totally works. The Crow is a dark, action-packed, disturbing comic book film that raised the bar for dark comic book movies, that has only recently been surpassed (Dark Knight). 5/5 stars.
The Crow:
A young couple: Eric Draven and Shelley Webster are brutally murdered on "Devil's Night", a gangsters' wild night of riots and mayhem, which takes place on October 30th, in inner city Detroit. Their wedding was to be the very nexy day, Halloween. This leaves their friend Sarah, a young girl, without caretakers except for her drug-addicted mom. A year later, the undead Eric rises from the grave, guided by a mysterious, supernatural crow, to avenge his girlfriend and kill the gang members. But, their boss, drug dealing psycho Top Dollar may have other plans for Eric. The cast for the film are terrific. Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee's son in his final performance) plays Eric. He is convincing as the vengeful, but loving Eric. He only has two allies: Sarah, and an old Detroit cop, Albrecht. He cares for these two, treating Albrecht as a sidekick, and Sarah as a little sister. He changes several people for the better in the film, but does exact brutal vengeance on those who deserve it. Speaking of which, Rochelle Davis is great as Sarah. She's a curious, independent, and funny little girl. Ernie Hudson (Ghostbsuters) plays Sergeant Albrecht. He's a divorced, aging cop. He's not Jim Gordon, he's old, but he's not very smart, he's out of shape, and he's not a very good shot. The opposite of the bad-ass Comissioner Gordon, although, he can hold his own in a fight, and proves to be a useful ally. Michael Wincott plays Top Dollar (even though his name isn't stated in the film), the devious, drug-dealing villain of the film. He's cool, and pure evil. He knows he's the villain and enjoys it. He does cruel, horrible things, but you can't seem to hate him. Bai Ling plays Myca, Dollar's half-sister and lover. She's pretty freaky, like him, and knows about the supernatural. Tony Todd (Candyman) plays Grange, Dollar's tall, indimating bodyguard. He's a small part, but he's memorable because Todd is so shadowy and has swagger, he's cool and creepy at the same time. James O'Barr (the creator) makes a cameo in a scene where The Crow blows up a pawn shop. The action scenes and special effects are great. From Eric's brief encounters with Tin-Tin, Fun-Boy, T-Bird, and Skank (the gangster who killed him), to the shoot-out at Top Dollar's, and the final showdown at the cathedral, the action is cool, slick, and stylish. The ways Eric comes up with the kill his enemies are truly gruesome and unique. From stabbing all major organs in alphabetical order, to overdosing someone on morphine, to blowing up someone in a car with all their own weapons, the deaths will disgust you, but they happen to characters you hate. Unfortunately, during the encounter with Fun-Boy, Michael Massee, the actor protraying the thug, shot a fake bullet during a re-shoot, and hit Lee in a major artery in a freak accident. It killed Lee, like his father, during the shoot, and Massee refused to work for a year out of guilt. Many critics predicted this would have been Lee's breakthrough role, and he would have become a major 90's star afterwards. Well, maybe in some alternate universe Lee survived and he became a major Hollywood player. The music is tragic and memorable. Haunting, touching, depressing, and uplifting, The Crow has a very moving and unique score. The look of the film is like Burton's Batman, gothic, artsy, and haunting. Though, this film's Detroit makes Gotham look like colorful utopia. I would rather live in real Detroit than here. Alex Proyas, director of I Robot, and Dark City, does a great job with the cinematography. Some of the film looks like straight out of a comic book, and it totally works. The Crow is a dark, action-packed, disturbing comic book film that raised the bar for dark comic book movies, that has only recently been surpassed (Dark Knight). 5/5 stars.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Halloween reviews: Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Today I look at possibly the best modern B-movie. Special effects artists The Chiodo Bros.' only film. Killer Klowns from Outer Space:
Killer Klowns from Outer Space:
In the coastal town of Crescent Cove, California, a few teens discover evil alien clowns have landed in the woods, are are devouring the humans of Earth. They must convince the town sherriff and other authority figures of their plight, but, as usual, no one believes them. Soon, the entire town is basically taken over, so the young sherriff, a guy, and his girlfriend, must fight off the alien hordes and save the world. The film's plot is ludicrous, and knows it, many moments are played for laughs, but some moments are truly frightening. The cast are okay, and know they're in a "so-bad-it's-good" movie. Grant Cramer plays Mike Tobacco (yes, that's his name), a young guy who tries to warn the small town about this hilarious, but sitll threatening invasion. Suzanne Snyder plays Debbie Stone, Mike's pretty but sort of stupid girlfriend. John Allen Nelson plays the young sherriff, Dave Nelson, a typical hero figure. John Vernon plays Curtis Mooney, the old, gruff Irish cop who's kind of an ass. Michael Siegel and Peter Licassi plays Rich and Paul Terenzi, two stoner brothers who drive an ice cream truck. They're pretty funny dudes. Royal Dano plays Farmer Gene Greene, a nice, old farmer in the opening, who first discovers the circus ship. You can guess how he turns out. The characters are like exaggerations of movie characters, especially 80's sterotypes. Speaking of things from the 80's that are missed nowadays: the special effects are great, nothing like the 80's effects. The animatronics are fantastic, and the clowns are both comical, and shit-your-pants scary. The contrast is shown in two scenes: The "knock your block off scene" and the "conveinence store scene" versus the scenes in their spaceship at the end and the scene in the police station. The first two are hilarious, the second two make you want to curl up in a ball and weep with fear. The directors, being special effects artists, definitely knew how to make cool creatures for their movies (Critters, Team America). The band The Dickies did a great theme song for the film: "Killer Klowns from Outer Space", accompanied by a cool music video, which you can find on YouTube. It's a great 80's song, and one of the best movie themes. The music in the actual film by John Massari is pretty good, too. Being both joyful and zany, and being creepy and deranged. Overall, unlike yesterday's movies (Candyman, Hellraiser), Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a fun popcorn flick and a great monster B-movie, check it out, it's great. (Way better than IT) 4/5 stars.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space:
In the coastal town of Crescent Cove, California, a few teens discover evil alien clowns have landed in the woods, are are devouring the humans of Earth. They must convince the town sherriff and other authority figures of their plight, but, as usual, no one believes them. Soon, the entire town is basically taken over, so the young sherriff, a guy, and his girlfriend, must fight off the alien hordes and save the world. The film's plot is ludicrous, and knows it, many moments are played for laughs, but some moments are truly frightening. The cast are okay, and know they're in a "so-bad-it's-good" movie. Grant Cramer plays Mike Tobacco (yes, that's his name), a young guy who tries to warn the small town about this hilarious, but sitll threatening invasion. Suzanne Snyder plays Debbie Stone, Mike's pretty but sort of stupid girlfriend. John Allen Nelson plays the young sherriff, Dave Nelson, a typical hero figure. John Vernon plays Curtis Mooney, the old, gruff Irish cop who's kind of an ass. Michael Siegel and Peter Licassi plays Rich and Paul Terenzi, two stoner brothers who drive an ice cream truck. They're pretty funny dudes. Royal Dano plays Farmer Gene Greene, a nice, old farmer in the opening, who first discovers the circus ship. You can guess how he turns out. The characters are like exaggerations of movie characters, especially 80's sterotypes. Speaking of things from the 80's that are missed nowadays: the special effects are great, nothing like the 80's effects. The animatronics are fantastic, and the clowns are both comical, and shit-your-pants scary. The contrast is shown in two scenes: The "knock your block off scene" and the "conveinence store scene" versus the scenes in their spaceship at the end and the scene in the police station. The first two are hilarious, the second two make you want to curl up in a ball and weep with fear. The directors, being special effects artists, definitely knew how to make cool creatures for their movies (Critters, Team America). The band The Dickies did a great theme song for the film: "Killer Klowns from Outer Space", accompanied by a cool music video, which you can find on YouTube. It's a great 80's song, and one of the best movie themes. The music in the actual film by John Massari is pretty good, too. Being both joyful and zany, and being creepy and deranged. Overall, unlike yesterday's movies (Candyman, Hellraiser), Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a fun popcorn flick and a great monster B-movie, check it out, it's great. (Way better than IT) 4/5 stars.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Another tragic death.
The great, classic comedienne Phyllis Diller died recently. A moment of silence....
Halloween reviews: Candyman
Today we look at Clive Barker's masterful psycholigcal/supernatural horror film, that truly redefines horror. His follow-up to Hellraiser, the disturbing Candyman. (Mild Spoilers)
Candyman:
A young woman, Helen Lyle, a Chicago college graduate student is researching urban myths, and comes across the legend of "Candyman". A young black artist in the late 1800s who was mutilated and burned for sleeping with the beautiful daughter of his employeer. He was then smeared with honey and stung to death by bees. She finds many people have been brutally murdered when saying Candyman's name five times in the mirror (similar to Bloody Mary). She begins to find that this Candyman character may be more than legend, and begins to fall under his strange, psychic spell. The cast are brilliant. Virginia Mardsen gives a fantastic performance as Helen. As with most of Barker's work, he doesn't write the typical horror girl. She's very intelligent, cunning, and skeptical. She is not bubbly in the slightest. She plays her role cold and straight, so ti makes it more shocking when she becomes terrified of Candyman. Tony Todd (a man smoother than silk) gives a truly strange and haunting performance as Candyman. His appearance is grotesque, with a rotten chest ful of live bees, a hook lodged in a stub that used to be his hand, and charred coat. He looks like a pimp from hell, which may sound funny, but he's definitely not. He has this hypnotic feel around him, as his scenes play out slow and tedious, and Helen falls into a strange, psychadelic trance when around him. The things he does, and thins he is rumored to do are truly heinous and nasty, from murdering a babysitter and a young infant, to brutally mutilating a young boy in a bathroom, to slaughtering a dog via decapitation, Candyman is a brutal killer. As with Barker's other work, you don't watch Candyman like Freddy, where you watch to laugh, you watch to be disgusted and mind-fucked. His presence is terrifying and truly complex, like a Rubik's Cube, he's not impossible, but very dificult to figure out. Xander Berkely plays Trevor, Helen's teacher and boyfriend, who dumps her when she becomes obsessed with Candyman. He's an asshole, and you want Candyman to cut his ass up. Vanessa Williams plays Anne-Marie McCoy, a single mother, ex-drug addict, living in the slum project of Cabrini-Green (a real place). Cabrini-Green also happens to be the home of Candyman's creepy lair. DeJuan Guy plays Jake, a poor, local boy of Chicago who knows about Candyman, and assists Helen in her investigation fo Candyman, telling her the story of a possibly retarded child being brutally assaulted by Candyman in a bathroom. The special effects are great. Candyman's appearance took hours of prosthetic make-up. My favorite moment is at the end, when Candyman lets bees swarm in his mouth and into Helen's. Today, it would be done using CG, but they actually stuck bees into Todd's mouth, and into Mardsens'. Unforuntally, Ms. Mardsen was allergic, luckily, Mr. Todd was not. The horror elements make the film terrifying, and like Hellraiser,
the atmosphere and world in which the characters exist is truly strange and alien. We barely see the outside world, and when we do, it has this oura of surrealism about it that makes the film even scarier. The music by Philip Glass is truly creepy and strange, and Bernard Rose's direction is brilliant. The camerawork is impressive. Barker's short story "The Forbidden" is adapted well by Rose, who wrote the film as well. Candyman is not a fun horror film, it is a dark, disturbing, surreal, and haunting film that should not be taken as a popcorn horror film like Scream or Friday the 13th, and should be taken very seriously. 4/5 stars,
Candyman:
A young woman, Helen Lyle, a Chicago college graduate student is researching urban myths, and comes across the legend of "Candyman". A young black artist in the late 1800s who was mutilated and burned for sleeping with the beautiful daughter of his employeer. He was then smeared with honey and stung to death by bees. She finds many people have been brutally murdered when saying Candyman's name five times in the mirror (similar to Bloody Mary). She begins to find that this Candyman character may be more than legend, and begins to fall under his strange, psychic spell. The cast are brilliant. Virginia Mardsen gives a fantastic performance as Helen. As with most of Barker's work, he doesn't write the typical horror girl. She's very intelligent, cunning, and skeptical. She is not bubbly in the slightest. She plays her role cold and straight, so ti makes it more shocking when she becomes terrified of Candyman. Tony Todd (a man smoother than silk) gives a truly strange and haunting performance as Candyman. His appearance is grotesque, with a rotten chest ful of live bees, a hook lodged in a stub that used to be his hand, and charred coat. He looks like a pimp from hell, which may sound funny, but he's definitely not. He has this hypnotic feel around him, as his scenes play out slow and tedious, and Helen falls into a strange, psychadelic trance when around him. The things he does, and thins he is rumored to do are truly heinous and nasty, from murdering a babysitter and a young infant, to brutally mutilating a young boy in a bathroom, to slaughtering a dog via decapitation, Candyman is a brutal killer. As with Barker's other work, you don't watch Candyman like Freddy, where you watch to laugh, you watch to be disgusted and mind-fucked. His presence is terrifying and truly complex, like a Rubik's Cube, he's not impossible, but very dificult to figure out. Xander Berkely plays Trevor, Helen's teacher and boyfriend, who dumps her when she becomes obsessed with Candyman. He's an asshole, and you want Candyman to cut his ass up. Vanessa Williams plays Anne-Marie McCoy, a single mother, ex-drug addict, living in the slum project of Cabrini-Green (a real place). Cabrini-Green also happens to be the home of Candyman's creepy lair. DeJuan Guy plays Jake, a poor, local boy of Chicago who knows about Candyman, and assists Helen in her investigation fo Candyman, telling her the story of a possibly retarded child being brutally assaulted by Candyman in a bathroom. The special effects are great. Candyman's appearance took hours of prosthetic make-up. My favorite moment is at the end, when Candyman lets bees swarm in his mouth and into Helen's. Today, it would be done using CG, but they actually stuck bees into Todd's mouth, and into Mardsens'. Unforuntally, Ms. Mardsen was allergic, luckily, Mr. Todd was not. The horror elements make the film terrifying, and like Hellraiser,
the atmosphere and world in which the characters exist is truly strange and alien. We barely see the outside world, and when we do, it has this oura of surrealism about it that makes the film even scarier. The music by Philip Glass is truly creepy and strange, and Bernard Rose's direction is brilliant. The camerawork is impressive. Barker's short story "The Forbidden" is adapted well by Rose, who wrote the film as well. Candyman is not a fun horror film, it is a dark, disturbing, surreal, and haunting film that should not be taken as a popcorn horror film like Scream or Friday the 13th, and should be taken very seriously. 4/5 stars,
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Halloween double review: Frankenweenie and Hotel Transylvania.
Today, I look at Tim Burton's new stop-motion fantasy film Frankenweenie (a remake of his own short film from 1984) and Genndy Tartokovsky's new CG film Hotel Transylvania. Let's get started...
(Don't forget to read my review of Nightmare Before Christmas on my other blog: mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com)
Frankenweenie:
This is both the first black and white film and first stop-motion film to be released in IMAX 3D. It is both an adaptation of Burton's 1984 short film, and a homage/parody of 1931's Frankenstein, among other horror films. A young boy, Victor Frankenstein, a filmmaker and science geek, loves his dog Sparky, So when a car accident kills his dog, Victor is very torn up about it. So, learning the science of using electrocution to re-animate limbs, he stitches together his dead dog, and brings him to life via a top-secret and elaborate attic experiment. He then tries to keep the dog a secret, but with Sparky's wild nature, many neighborhood kids find out about it, and, in order to win the school science fair, decide they must re-animate their pets as well. Meanwhile, Sparky befriends Persephone, the neighboring girl's dog. All these plotlines collide in a fun, but eerie climax. They really put effort into this movie. From making the Disney logo look ominous and imposing, to the impressive animation skills, to the countless monster movie references, (Gamora, Godzilla, The Mummy, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, Son of Frankenstein, etc.), you know this was a heart-felt project Burton cared about very much. He is going back to his roots, after all. After this May's terrible adaptation Dark Shadows, I'm glad Burton made such a comeback. Charlie Tahan plays Victor, very convincingly, and very reminiscent of Burton himself. That lonely, friendless, weird kid who's nice, but just misunderstood. Catherine O'Hara plays multiple roles as Victor's mother, "Weird Girl" (a strange girl from Victor's school who is obsessed with her cat and his "psychic visions", among other things), and the gym teacher. Martin Short also has multiple roles as Victor's dad, Mr. Burgermeister (the mean mayor of New Holland, the fictional town in which the film takes place), and Nassor (a science genius who is fellow student Toshiaki's science partner, who is an enemy of Victor, and has an appearance similar to Frankenstein's monster and a voice similar to the most famous Frankenstein actor, Boris Karloff). James Hiroyuki Liao plays Toshiaki, an Asian science genius, a foe of Victor, and Nassor's friend. Winona Ryder plays Elsa Van Helsing, Victor's neighbor and love interest, and Mr. Burgermeister's niece. Martin Landau (Ed Wood) plays Mr. Ryzkruski, the very intelligent but very eccentric new Russian science teacher, who acts of Victor's science mentor. Atticus Shaffer plays Edgar (E) Gore (reference to Igor), a hunchbacked child who is the first to know Sparky is alive. Tom Kenny (voice of Spongebob) plays several townsfolk in the film. The voice talent is vast, and all the characters are odd, but entertaining, in Burton's signature style. The visuals and animation are iconic and stylized, giving the film that Tim Burton charm. Definetly better than some of Burton's recent work, and almost as good as The Nightmare Before Christmas, if not better! 5/5 stars.
Bonus! Hotel Transylvania:
Genndy Tartokovsky, creator of Dexter's Laboratory, Sym-Biotic Titan, Samurai Jack, Powerpuff Girls, and 2005's Star Wars: The Clone Wars, has now produced a new film, using 2D character designs, with 3D animation. It is the Hotel Transylvania, such a lovely place, such a lovely place... (only kidding)
The film is actually pretty funny and enjoyable, especially for the kind of kid's movies we usually see. The plot is that Dracula has built the Hotel Transylvania, a safe haven for monsters, who have been driven-out by humans, and a safe haven for his daughter, Mavis, who's mother was killed in a fire that humans caused. Suddenly, an average backpacker stumbles onto the place, and falls for Mavis. Dracula tries to keep the situation under control, as the monsters will completely go ape-shit if they find that a human has entered this supposedly "safe" castle. Adam Sandler actually gives a decent performance for once as Dracula. He plays the over-the-top funny man, the controlling father, the caring individual, and a menacing figure. Kevin James and Steve Buscemi appear as Frankenstein and Wayne the Wolfman, turning in funny performances as well. Fran Drescher and Molly Shannon co-star as their wives, Eunice and Wanda the Werewoman. Selena Gomez is Mavis (a role originally for Miley Cyrus), she does a good job as well. David Spade and Cee-Lo Green are the Invisible Man, and the obese Mummy. Jon Lovitz plays the French chef Quasimodo, and Luenell as Mavi's sassy shrunken head doorknob. Andy Samberg (The Lonely Island, SNL) plays Jonathan, the back-packing, dumb-ass "hip" guy who stumbles upon the castle. Rob Riggle (Upright Citizens Brigade, The Hangover, Step Bros, 21 Jump Street, Wilfred) voices a background character, the skeleton husband. Jackie and Sadie Sandler, Sandler's wife and daughter, voice Martha (Drac's dead wife) and young Mavis, respcetively. Chris Parnell plays The Fly, and Brian George is the living suit of armor who runs the security of the castle. Paul Brittain, Tom Kenny, Jim Wise, Jonny Solomon, and Craig Kellman voice the several heads of the Hydra. The humor in the film is quite effective, they limit the immature fart jokes to one, they have very great visual gags, and there is one, cleverly placed, and very subtle penis joke that's in the pool party scene. The animation is great, moving quickly and fluently, creating a very quick-paced and very cool film to watch. Overall, if you're looking for a Halloween movie that parents can enjoy almost as much as their kids, Hotel Transylvania is the film for you. 3.5/5 stars.
(Don't forget to read my review of Nightmare Before Christmas on my other blog: mattmonstermovies.blogspot.com)
Frankenweenie:
This is both the first black and white film and first stop-motion film to be released in IMAX 3D. It is both an adaptation of Burton's 1984 short film, and a homage/parody of 1931's Frankenstein, among other horror films. A young boy, Victor Frankenstein, a filmmaker and science geek, loves his dog Sparky, So when a car accident kills his dog, Victor is very torn up about it. So, learning the science of using electrocution to re-animate limbs, he stitches together his dead dog, and brings him to life via a top-secret and elaborate attic experiment. He then tries to keep the dog a secret, but with Sparky's wild nature, many neighborhood kids find out about it, and, in order to win the school science fair, decide they must re-animate their pets as well. Meanwhile, Sparky befriends Persephone, the neighboring girl's dog. All these plotlines collide in a fun, but eerie climax. They really put effort into this movie. From making the Disney logo look ominous and imposing, to the impressive animation skills, to the countless monster movie references, (Gamora, Godzilla, The Mummy, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, Son of Frankenstein, etc.), you know this was a heart-felt project Burton cared about very much. He is going back to his roots, after all. After this May's terrible adaptation Dark Shadows, I'm glad Burton made such a comeback. Charlie Tahan plays Victor, very convincingly, and very reminiscent of Burton himself. That lonely, friendless, weird kid who's nice, but just misunderstood. Catherine O'Hara plays multiple roles as Victor's mother, "Weird Girl" (a strange girl from Victor's school who is obsessed with her cat and his "psychic visions", among other things), and the gym teacher. Martin Short also has multiple roles as Victor's dad, Mr. Burgermeister (the mean mayor of New Holland, the fictional town in which the film takes place), and Nassor (a science genius who is fellow student Toshiaki's science partner, who is an enemy of Victor, and has an appearance similar to Frankenstein's monster and a voice similar to the most famous Frankenstein actor, Boris Karloff). James Hiroyuki Liao plays Toshiaki, an Asian science genius, a foe of Victor, and Nassor's friend. Winona Ryder plays Elsa Van Helsing, Victor's neighbor and love interest, and Mr. Burgermeister's niece. Martin Landau (Ed Wood) plays Mr. Ryzkruski, the very intelligent but very eccentric new Russian science teacher, who acts of Victor's science mentor. Atticus Shaffer plays Edgar (E) Gore (reference to Igor), a hunchbacked child who is the first to know Sparky is alive. Tom Kenny (voice of Spongebob) plays several townsfolk in the film. The voice talent is vast, and all the characters are odd, but entertaining, in Burton's signature style. The visuals and animation are iconic and stylized, giving the film that Tim Burton charm. Definetly better than some of Burton's recent work, and almost as good as The Nightmare Before Christmas, if not better! 5/5 stars.
_poster.jpg)
Bonus! Hotel Transylvania:
Genndy Tartokovsky, creator of Dexter's Laboratory, Sym-Biotic Titan, Samurai Jack, Powerpuff Girls, and 2005's Star Wars: The Clone Wars, has now produced a new film, using 2D character designs, with 3D animation. It is the Hotel Transylvania, such a lovely place, such a lovely place... (only kidding)
The film is actually pretty funny and enjoyable, especially for the kind of kid's movies we usually see. The plot is that Dracula has built the Hotel Transylvania, a safe haven for monsters, who have been driven-out by humans, and a safe haven for his daughter, Mavis, who's mother was killed in a fire that humans caused. Suddenly, an average backpacker stumbles onto the place, and falls for Mavis. Dracula tries to keep the situation under control, as the monsters will completely go ape-shit if they find that a human has entered this supposedly "safe" castle. Adam Sandler actually gives a decent performance for once as Dracula. He plays the over-the-top funny man, the controlling father, the caring individual, and a menacing figure. Kevin James and Steve Buscemi appear as Frankenstein and Wayne the Wolfman, turning in funny performances as well. Fran Drescher and Molly Shannon co-star as their wives, Eunice and Wanda the Werewoman. Selena Gomez is Mavis (a role originally for Miley Cyrus), she does a good job as well. David Spade and Cee-Lo Green are the Invisible Man, and the obese Mummy. Jon Lovitz plays the French chef Quasimodo, and Luenell as Mavi's sassy shrunken head doorknob. Andy Samberg (The Lonely Island, SNL) plays Jonathan, the back-packing, dumb-ass "hip" guy who stumbles upon the castle. Rob Riggle (Upright Citizens Brigade, The Hangover, Step Bros, 21 Jump Street, Wilfred) voices a background character, the skeleton husband. Jackie and Sadie Sandler, Sandler's wife and daughter, voice Martha (Drac's dead wife) and young Mavis, respcetively. Chris Parnell plays The Fly, and Brian George is the living suit of armor who runs the security of the castle. Paul Brittain, Tom Kenny, Jim Wise, Jonny Solomon, and Craig Kellman voice the several heads of the Hydra. The humor in the film is quite effective, they limit the immature fart jokes to one, they have very great visual gags, and there is one, cleverly placed, and very subtle penis joke that's in the pool party scene. The animation is great, moving quickly and fluently, creating a very quick-paced and very cool film to watch. Overall, if you're looking for a Halloween movie that parents can enjoy almost as much as their kids, Hotel Transylvania is the film for you. 3.5/5 stars.
Taken movies
Now, I will be posting three Halloween reviews right after this, but first, I must review the action-thrillers everyone raves about, the Taken films. Starring Liam Neeson, and produced and co-written by French film-maker Luc Besson (Leon: The Professional, La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element, Taxi), the films follow ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills, who has to track down human trafficking operations in Europe when his daughter and her best friend are kidnapped, and "taken" into the sex-trafficking operation. The films were cult hits, and critical successes, well, at the least the first one was, so let's see why these two thrillers are so popular and successful... (Mild Spoilers)
Taken:
According to critic Steven Jay Schnieder, and I'm paraphrasing here: "when this action-thriller was released in 2009 with a 2007 copyright, not many people thought it was gonna be to great." But, the film was a critical and cult success, bringing in few box office profits, but being super-profitable on video. The film follows Bryan Mills, an ex-CIA agent who's divorced from his wife (who's married a rich socialite), estranged from his daughter, and haunted by his past. He has good friends to keep him company, but that's about it. When his daughter and a friend take a trip to Paris, they are kidnapped by Albanian sex traffickers, and Mills goes on a killing spree, tracking down the kidnappers, and trying to track down the two girls in a city of 12 million people, before they are shipped off to unknown masters. Liam Neeson gives a bad-ass performance as Mills. he makes this rise above the typical action farce. He delivers all of his lines coldy and calmly. He shows no mercy, brutally torturing and murdering his enemies, not even giving one a chance to plead for mercy. He also gives his often quoted and infamous warning: "If you let my daughter go, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will hunt you down, I will find you.... and I will kill you." He uses his cunning intelligence, wit, and super skills to brutally take down this evil empire single-handedly. Famke Jansseen (X-Men, The Faculty, Goldeneye) plays Mills' ex-wife, Lenore, who is bitchy, but can also have her moments with Mills. Maggie Grace plays Kim, Mills' daughter. She's pretty selfish and bitchy,too, but ultimately loves her father, but just wants her own space. Katie Cassidy plays Amanda, Kim's best friend who is also taken by the Albanian mafia. The action and stunts are remarkable. From the opening chase on the freeway, to the stealth scene where Mills sneaks around an Albanian mob camp, to the final shootout on the traffickers' yacht, the scenes are quick, brutal, and merciless, reflecting Mills' perosnality and skills. There are also some very effective shock moments, such as the electrical-shock interrogation scene between Mills and a trafficker named Marco. The music is pretty good, too. Overall, Taken is a well-made, brutal thrill ride that will keepyou on the edge of your seat till the end credits. 5/5 stars.
Taken 2:
Now this was sadly disappointing. Why? Well, this time around Mills and his ex-wife grow closer together again, as his ex-wife is divorcing her richy asswhipe husband. They and their daughter, Kim, take a trip to Albania, the exact location of the sex trafficker's HQ. Dumb-ass move. Now, Mills and his ex-wife are taken by the fathers of the men he killed, who want revenge. Kim must save Mills, who eventually escapes. But, that still leaves his ex-wife in capture, awaiting a brutal execution. Will Mills be able to save her in time?... Well, that's kind of a predictable ending now isn't it? After seeing what he's able to do in the first film, is this even a real question posed by the plot? The answer is no. The characters are more bland this time around, so there's no point in talking about them, except hat Mills is mor eunderstanding, and Kim is mor eof a strong woman now. That's my problem, the film takes too much of a liberal approach. Now, I don't hate liberals, I conside rmyself sort of a loose liberal myself. But, the problem is that what made Mills so awesome in the first place is that he showed no mercy. In this film, he does. instead of killing, once in a while he'll knock a guy out. He even has an ultimatum with the villain. Remember in the first film when one bad guy was left, he tried to negotiate with Mills and Mills just shot in the face before he could even say a word. Well, in this film Mills has a nice, lsow conversation with the main villain about the consequences of both their actions, and tht he shouldn't seek revenge for what Mills did. Wasn't Mills seeking vengeance in the first film? What a hypocrite!!! The action is less frequent, but still thrilling. From the chase through the Albanian mall, to the chase scene in the Taxi, to Mills' escape, to his rescue of his wife, the action is satisfactory, but the cheaper story and the more nice tone of this film drag it down. Even the poster is cheap, on most they just cut and paste Nesson from the original poster in front of a big 2. Even though it doesn't get quite the same raction as it's predecessor, Taken 2 is a worthwhile action film with good potential. 3/5 stars.
Taken:
According to critic Steven Jay Schnieder, and I'm paraphrasing here: "when this action-thriller was released in 2009 with a 2007 copyright, not many people thought it was gonna be to great." But, the film was a critical and cult success, bringing in few box office profits, but being super-profitable on video. The film follows Bryan Mills, an ex-CIA agent who's divorced from his wife (who's married a rich socialite), estranged from his daughter, and haunted by his past. He has good friends to keep him company, but that's about it. When his daughter and a friend take a trip to Paris, they are kidnapped by Albanian sex traffickers, and Mills goes on a killing spree, tracking down the kidnappers, and trying to track down the two girls in a city of 12 million people, before they are shipped off to unknown masters. Liam Neeson gives a bad-ass performance as Mills. he makes this rise above the typical action farce. He delivers all of his lines coldy and calmly. He shows no mercy, brutally torturing and murdering his enemies, not even giving one a chance to plead for mercy. He also gives his often quoted and infamous warning: "If you let my daughter go, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will hunt you down, I will find you.... and I will kill you." He uses his cunning intelligence, wit, and super skills to brutally take down this evil empire single-handedly. Famke Jansseen (X-Men, The Faculty, Goldeneye) plays Mills' ex-wife, Lenore, who is bitchy, but can also have her moments with Mills. Maggie Grace plays Kim, Mills' daughter. She's pretty selfish and bitchy,too, but ultimately loves her father, but just wants her own space. Katie Cassidy plays Amanda, Kim's best friend who is also taken by the Albanian mafia. The action and stunts are remarkable. From the opening chase on the freeway, to the stealth scene where Mills sneaks around an Albanian mob camp, to the final shootout on the traffickers' yacht, the scenes are quick, brutal, and merciless, reflecting Mills' perosnality and skills. There are also some very effective shock moments, such as the electrical-shock interrogation scene between Mills and a trafficker named Marco. The music is pretty good, too. Overall, Taken is a well-made, brutal thrill ride that will keepyou on the edge of your seat till the end credits. 5/5 stars.
Taken 2:
Now this was sadly disappointing. Why? Well, this time around Mills and his ex-wife grow closer together again, as his ex-wife is divorcing her richy asswhipe husband. They and their daughter, Kim, take a trip to Albania, the exact location of the sex trafficker's HQ. Dumb-ass move. Now, Mills and his ex-wife are taken by the fathers of the men he killed, who want revenge. Kim must save Mills, who eventually escapes. But, that still leaves his ex-wife in capture, awaiting a brutal execution. Will Mills be able to save her in time?... Well, that's kind of a predictable ending now isn't it? After seeing what he's able to do in the first film, is this even a real question posed by the plot? The answer is no. The characters are more bland this time around, so there's no point in talking about them, except hat Mills is mor eunderstanding, and Kim is mor eof a strong woman now. That's my problem, the film takes too much of a liberal approach. Now, I don't hate liberals, I conside rmyself sort of a loose liberal myself. But, the problem is that what made Mills so awesome in the first place is that he showed no mercy. In this film, he does. instead of killing, once in a while he'll knock a guy out. He even has an ultimatum with the villain. Remember in the first film when one bad guy was left, he tried to negotiate with Mills and Mills just shot in the face before he could even say a word. Well, in this film Mills has a nice, lsow conversation with the main villain about the consequences of both their actions, and tht he shouldn't seek revenge for what Mills did. Wasn't Mills seeking vengeance in the first film? What a hypocrite!!! The action is less frequent, but still thrilling. From the chase through the Albanian mall, to the chase scene in the Taxi, to Mills' escape, to his rescue of his wife, the action is satisfactory, but the cheaper story and the more nice tone of this film drag it down. Even the poster is cheap, on most they just cut and paste Nesson from the original poster in front of a big 2. Even though it doesn't get quite the same raction as it's predecessor, Taken 2 is a worthwhile action film with good potential. 3/5 stars.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Halloween reviews: Bram Stoker's Dracula
Today, I look at Francis Ford Coppola's vision of Bram Stoker's novel. I do not consider it a remake, because it tries to adapt the novel as cose as possible, so it kind of forgets that the Bela Lugosi film even exists. So, here goes nothing... (Mild Spoilers Ahead.)
Bram Stoker's Dracula:
In England in the 1800s, young Jonathan Harker leaves his fiancee, Mina, to go on a quick business trip to Romania to make a rela estate deal with an old count at an ancient castle. He is taken prisoner by the count of his blood-thirsty, youthful brides, and the count recognzies Mina from a picture Jonathan had in a his pockets. She is the reincarantion of his lover form centuries ago, as he is an immortal, demonic vampire. The count, Dracul, travels to England, transforming into a youthful bachelor, and woos Mina, attempting to get his long lost lover back from the dead. Jonathan enlists the help of Professor Abraham Van Helsing, who is also a vampire expert, to help him hunt down the count and his minions, and get Mina back. The cast are great, except for the two lovers. Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves are wooden as Mina and Jonathan Harker, and they have very fake British accents. Gary Oldman, on the other hand, is amazing as Dracula. You don't know whether to despise him or sympathize with him. He, at point, feed an infant to his demonic brides, to Jonathan's horror, and he appears as a fucked-up, evil bastard. But later, he appears as a solemn, tragic figure, who just wants the love of his life back. Anthony Hopkins (fresh off his role as Hannibal Lector in the previous year's The Silence of the Lambs) is fantastic as Van Helsing. Much better than Hugh Jackman's performance 12 years later in Van Helsing. He is intelligent, but also very superstitous. He has this oura of mysteriousness and authority about him, which makes him complex and interesting. Richard E. Grant plays Dr. John Seward, the caretaker of the Seward Sanitarium (mental asylum). He is a troubled, disturbed young man who cares little for the patients he cares for. He is also a compelx, mysterious figure who you try to figure out during the movie. Cary Elwes (star of The Princess Bride, later in the horror film Saw) plays Sir Arthur Holmwood, a young British socialite who becomes Lucy Westenra's lover. He is less complex, but still interesting. The scene where he must kill his now vampiric lover is made more effectvie by the fact he can abrel bring himself to relieve Lucy of her demonic state. Sadie Frost plays Lucy, a beautiful, funny girl who likes to hang around and woo the rich young men. She is Mina's best friend, and both are fascinated by sex, being sheltered form it in their Victorian society. Billy Campbell plays Quincey Morris, a rich Texan aristocrat who becomes involved in the supernatural happenings surrounding Lucy and Mina. He along with Seward and Holmwood propose to Lucy on the same day, but Holmwood gets accepted. Finally, musician turned actor Tom Waits is amazing in a small supporting role as R.M. Renfield. Played much different from the classic Dwight Frye, he plays it more like an actually crazy person. He speaks to his "master" Dracula and eats flies, thanking Dracula for his gifts. The film does not show the opeing scene from the 1931 film where Renfield visits Dracula and is driven insane, which is why Harker visits the place. But that doesn't matter, as Waits turns in a memorable, but brief performance as Renfield. The writing and direction are great as well. Coppola really understands how to shoot these scenes, and understands the character's complexity, often ignored in previous adaptations, and even adaptations since. Also, the horrifyingly realistic creature effects, animatronics, and make-up by Greg Cannon, Matthew Mungle, and Michele Burke are astonishing. The music is subtle and creepy, especially the scene where Dracula first hypnotizes Mina. Overall, Bram Stoker's Dracula is a creepy, complex, and disturbing horror film with sexual undertones, and it is true to the disturbing nature of Stoker's novel. 4/5 stars.
Bram Stoker's Dracula:
In England in the 1800s, young Jonathan Harker leaves his fiancee, Mina, to go on a quick business trip to Romania to make a rela estate deal with an old count at an ancient castle. He is taken prisoner by the count of his blood-thirsty, youthful brides, and the count recognzies Mina from a picture Jonathan had in a his pockets. She is the reincarantion of his lover form centuries ago, as he is an immortal, demonic vampire. The count, Dracul, travels to England, transforming into a youthful bachelor, and woos Mina, attempting to get his long lost lover back from the dead. Jonathan enlists the help of Professor Abraham Van Helsing, who is also a vampire expert, to help him hunt down the count and his minions, and get Mina back. The cast are great, except for the two lovers. Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves are wooden as Mina and Jonathan Harker, and they have very fake British accents. Gary Oldman, on the other hand, is amazing as Dracula. You don't know whether to despise him or sympathize with him. He, at point, feed an infant to his demonic brides, to Jonathan's horror, and he appears as a fucked-up, evil bastard. But later, he appears as a solemn, tragic figure, who just wants the love of his life back. Anthony Hopkins (fresh off his role as Hannibal Lector in the previous year's The Silence of the Lambs) is fantastic as Van Helsing. Much better than Hugh Jackman's performance 12 years later in Van Helsing. He is intelligent, but also very superstitous. He has this oura of mysteriousness and authority about him, which makes him complex and interesting. Richard E. Grant plays Dr. John Seward, the caretaker of the Seward Sanitarium (mental asylum). He is a troubled, disturbed young man who cares little for the patients he cares for. He is also a compelx, mysterious figure who you try to figure out during the movie. Cary Elwes (star of The Princess Bride, later in the horror film Saw) plays Sir Arthur Holmwood, a young British socialite who becomes Lucy Westenra's lover. He is less complex, but still interesting. The scene where he must kill his now vampiric lover is made more effectvie by the fact he can abrel bring himself to relieve Lucy of her demonic state. Sadie Frost plays Lucy, a beautiful, funny girl who likes to hang around and woo the rich young men. She is Mina's best friend, and both are fascinated by sex, being sheltered form it in their Victorian society. Billy Campbell plays Quincey Morris, a rich Texan aristocrat who becomes involved in the supernatural happenings surrounding Lucy and Mina. He along with Seward and Holmwood propose to Lucy on the same day, but Holmwood gets accepted. Finally, musician turned actor Tom Waits is amazing in a small supporting role as R.M. Renfield. Played much different from the classic Dwight Frye, he plays it more like an actually crazy person. He speaks to his "master" Dracula and eats flies, thanking Dracula for his gifts. The film does not show the opeing scene from the 1931 film where Renfield visits Dracula and is driven insane, which is why Harker visits the place. But that doesn't matter, as Waits turns in a memorable, but brief performance as Renfield. The writing and direction are great as well. Coppola really understands how to shoot these scenes, and understands the character's complexity, often ignored in previous adaptations, and even adaptations since. Also, the horrifyingly realistic creature effects, animatronics, and make-up by Greg Cannon, Matthew Mungle, and Michele Burke are astonishing. The music is subtle and creepy, especially the scene where Dracula first hypnotizes Mina. Overall, Bram Stoker's Dracula is a creepy, complex, and disturbing horror film with sexual undertones, and it is true to the disturbing nature of Stoker's novel. 4/5 stars.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Halloween reviews: Frailty
Frailty:
A young, skiddish man walks into a police station to speak about a copy-cat killer of the "God's Hand" killer from the South in the 1950's. When interviewed, he reveals the original killer was his own father. It is revealed the father had a vision from "god", which told him to kill people who are actually demons living on Earth. He elists the help of his two sons, the younger son being totally convinced of his father's quest, the older son (the man at the police station) is more skeptical of his father. The father then tries to punish the eldest and try to convince him that demons are real... The cast are incredibly good. Bill Paxton (who doubles as director) is great as the widowed Dad (yes, that's his name). He comes off as loving, strange, crazy, but grounded. He is a Bible-thumper, and it shows in his insane deovition to the "Lord". Matthew McConaughey is great as the older brother Fenton, who is a skiddish, terrified young man who is now convinced what his father did was necessary. Powers Boothe (Sin City) is good in a supporting role as the police officer interviewing Fenton. The film's writing and shock moments are played ffectively, but Paxton over-uses the word "demon" to comedic lengths. (So much so me and my friend made it a running gag throughout the film, and use it as an inside joek in conversations.) The film is clever in the fact that it never really tells you if this is truly divine intervention or delusions of holiness until the end, which is a very clever twist. Overall, Frailty is one of the best modern horror films, and one of the most clever, scariest, and most deep horror movies I've seen in a while. 4/5 stars.
A young, skiddish man walks into a police station to speak about a copy-cat killer of the "God's Hand" killer from the South in the 1950's. When interviewed, he reveals the original killer was his own father. It is revealed the father had a vision from "god", which told him to kill people who are actually demons living on Earth. He elists the help of his two sons, the younger son being totally convinced of his father's quest, the older son (the man at the police station) is more skeptical of his father. The father then tries to punish the eldest and try to convince him that demons are real... The cast are incredibly good. Bill Paxton (who doubles as director) is great as the widowed Dad (yes, that's his name). He comes off as loving, strange, crazy, but grounded. He is a Bible-thumper, and it shows in his insane deovition to the "Lord". Matthew McConaughey is great as the older brother Fenton, who is a skiddish, terrified young man who is now convinced what his father did was necessary. Powers Boothe (Sin City) is good in a supporting role as the police officer interviewing Fenton. The film's writing and shock moments are played ffectively, but Paxton over-uses the word "demon" to comedic lengths. (So much so me and my friend made it a running gag throughout the film, and use it as an inside joek in conversations.) The film is clever in the fact that it never really tells you if this is truly divine intervention or delusions of holiness until the end, which is a very clever twist. Overall, Frailty is one of the best modern horror films, and one of the most clever, scariest, and most deep horror movies I've seen in a while. 4/5 stars.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Halloween reviews: House of 1000 Corpses
I look at Rob Zombie's first film in his little horror series surrounding the Firefly family. This first film has gotten mixed reviews from critics, but I think there's more here than most people see... (Also, on my other blog mattsmonstermovies.blogspot.com for reviews of American Psycho and The Devil's Rejects.)
House of 1,000 Corpses:
A few young, dumb college kids take a weed-powered road trip across the countr looking for cheap roadside attractions. They stumble upon Captain Spaulding's gas station and museum of madmen. Spaulding intrigues them with the story of "Dr. Satan", a mental hospital assistant who went insane and killed his patients. He was said to be hung and disappear the next day, and the kids travel to the hanging tree. They pick up a hitchiker, Baby, who directs them to her house. They discover her family, the Firefly family, have strange Halloween traditions. The kids try to escape, but get captures, and the film becomes a house of shcok and horrors. The more the characters deteriorate, the more we learn of the Satanic rituals the family participate in, and the truth behind Dr. Satan... The cast are pretty good. Despite his short screen time, Sid Haig leaves a huge impression as the crazy, funny, vulgar clown Captain Spaulding. He's both threatening, but funny as hell at the same time. Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) plays Otis, and completely steals the show. He plays a complete psychopath. An inbred, sadistic freak, but he's mesemerizing and is so entertaining to watch, you want more of him than the film gives. Sheri Moon Zombie plays Baby Firefly, the beautiful but extremely unstable female killer. Her sex appeal is one of her weapons, but you can tell there's something off the minute you see her. Karen Black is good as Mother Firefly, the seductive, crazy, and freakish mother figure of the family. These characters steal the sho, and the supporting cast, including The Office's Rainn Wilson, the deceased Dennis Fimple as the crazy and hilarious Grandpa Hugo, and Robert Murkes as Otis' half-brother Rufus. The cinematography is remisiniscent of an over-the-top, surreal grindhouse film, including negative clips, rnadomly colored clips, and random stock footage. This is misinterpreted as weirdness, but it adds to the effect. The music is misused, for a film that takes place in the late 70's, because they use a lot of death metal on the soundtrack, similar to that year's other horror film, Texas Chainsaw Massacre. House of 1000 Corpses is a crazy, disturbing, shockign thrill ride through hell, it leaves you feeling dirty and shameful, but it's damn entertaining, too. 3.5/5 stars.
House of 1,000 Corpses:
A few young, dumb college kids take a weed-powered road trip across the countr looking for cheap roadside attractions. They stumble upon Captain Spaulding's gas station and museum of madmen. Spaulding intrigues them with the story of "Dr. Satan", a mental hospital assistant who went insane and killed his patients. He was said to be hung and disappear the next day, and the kids travel to the hanging tree. They pick up a hitchiker, Baby, who directs them to her house. They discover her family, the Firefly family, have strange Halloween traditions. The kids try to escape, but get captures, and the film becomes a house of shcok and horrors. The more the characters deteriorate, the more we learn of the Satanic rituals the family participate in, and the truth behind Dr. Satan... The cast are pretty good. Despite his short screen time, Sid Haig leaves a huge impression as the crazy, funny, vulgar clown Captain Spaulding. He's both threatening, but funny as hell at the same time. Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) plays Otis, and completely steals the show. He plays a complete psychopath. An inbred, sadistic freak, but he's mesemerizing and is so entertaining to watch, you want more of him than the film gives. Sheri Moon Zombie plays Baby Firefly, the beautiful but extremely unstable female killer. Her sex appeal is one of her weapons, but you can tell there's something off the minute you see her. Karen Black is good as Mother Firefly, the seductive, crazy, and freakish mother figure of the family. These characters steal the sho, and the supporting cast, including The Office's Rainn Wilson, the deceased Dennis Fimple as the crazy and hilarious Grandpa Hugo, and Robert Murkes as Otis' half-brother Rufus. The cinematography is remisiniscent of an over-the-top, surreal grindhouse film, including negative clips, rnadomly colored clips, and random stock footage. This is misinterpreted as weirdness, but it adds to the effect. The music is misused, for a film that takes place in the late 70's, because they use a lot of death metal on the soundtrack, similar to that year's other horror film, Texas Chainsaw Massacre. House of 1000 Corpses is a crazy, disturbing, shockign thrill ride through hell, it leaves you feeling dirty and shameful, but it's damn entertaining, too. 3.5/5 stars.
Paul Thomas Anderson makes a masterpiece, and a cop movie rises above the rest.
Tonight, I saw two new films, well, semi-new. Paul Thomas Anderson's new film The Master and the new, brutal cop movie End of Watch. They were good, so let me say my opinion on them. (Mild Spoilers!!!)
The Master:
War-torn, self-destructive, alcoholic, sex-obsessed WWII-veteran, Freddy Quell, is discovered on a ship by Lancaster Dodd, a scientist with an optimistic vision of past lives and the body as a vessel for the soul. He recruits Freddy as his protege, but the unstable Freddy has a hard time buying into this cult-like organization. The film's cult organization is inspired by Scientology and it's founder, L. Ron Hubbard. Also, it was inspired by a few early drafts of Anderson's dark western drama There Will be Blood, and Jason Robard's stories of drunken depression after his service in the Navy which he told Anderson, and the life stories of Californian writer John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men, The Pearl, Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden.) The cast, well, the main three characters, are amazing. Joaquin Phoenix looks older than usual, and gives a breathtaking performance as the unstable, repressed, angry, horny, and drunken Freddy Quell, who has angered tantrums, and has weird outbursts. He becomes the main focus of the film, and the entire film centers around his traumatic and strange life. Philip Seymour Hoffman (one of the most talented dramatic actors today) plays Dodd, who appears as a lovable, funny, smart intellectual with new visions on the mind and body. But, he is later revealed to be a strange, sexually and angrily repressed, obsessed, cultist-like man who becomes obsessed with convincing everyone of his cause and who often has strange outbursts of anger and cussing. Hoffman steals the scene at the end when speaking to Phoenix about future possible lives. Hoffman is able to play such a crazy role straight, which makes the film surreal but grounded in reality at the same time, and very few films or performances are able to do that. Amy Adams plays Dodd's wife, Peggy. She at first appears to be a kind, caring, beautiful wife. She later reveals herself to be a strange, somewhat cold woman who fully believes in her husband's cause. The scene in which she gives him a hand-job in exchange to his commitment to her is disturbing and surreal. Going into the rest of the cast is pointless, even though they're terrific, because they appear as background characters because the film focuses on the first two actors, and somewhat on the third. Although one person to note is Jesse Plemons (Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad) who appears in a small role as Dodd's son. The writing, cinematography, and direction are beautifully executed, some of the shots are so gorgeously shot, it's breathtaking. The music and pacing are slow, but they pay off at the end. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone was right when he said Paul Thomas Anderson has placed himself in the league of great modern directors with this film. The Master is a beautifully crafted, albeit graphic and disturbing film, and a wonderfully written and directed film as well, see it, you owe it to yourself. 5/5 stars.
End of Watch:
Two LA cops, Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala, love each other like brothers. They begin recording their daily lives on the job, to the dismay of their fellow coworkers. Then, the two cops stumble upon a Cartel operation bigger than themselves.... Though the plot is thin, the characters are surprisingly good. Jake Gyllenhall and Michael Pena are great as Taylor and Zavala, respectively. You really feel their bond as they joke and laugh with each other on and off patrol. They can also play their roles seriously as they get scared when they sutmble upon a human trafficking operation. Anna Kendrick (Twilight, Scott Pilgrim) and Natalie Martinez are great as their wives, Janet and Gabby. The cinematography is interesting. It's a mix between found footage and a real movie. They use it to great effect, like Chronicle. The action and drama work really well, but the comedy is also very effective. It lightens the generally dark mood of the film. The film jumps around a bit, but that's why it works, it's true-to-life. Cops do drop cases sometimes and start new ones abruptly, and never look back. Not much to say, but End of Watch manages to match films like Pride and Glory but add something new, a good movie with a shocking ending. Well worth the ticket price. 3.5/5 stars.
The Master:
War-torn, self-destructive, alcoholic, sex-obsessed WWII-veteran, Freddy Quell, is discovered on a ship by Lancaster Dodd, a scientist with an optimistic vision of past lives and the body as a vessel for the soul. He recruits Freddy as his protege, but the unstable Freddy has a hard time buying into this cult-like organization. The film's cult organization is inspired by Scientology and it's founder, L. Ron Hubbard. Also, it was inspired by a few early drafts of Anderson's dark western drama There Will be Blood, and Jason Robard's stories of drunken depression after his service in the Navy which he told Anderson, and the life stories of Californian writer John Steinbeck (Of Mice and Men, The Pearl, Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden.) The cast, well, the main three characters, are amazing. Joaquin Phoenix looks older than usual, and gives a breathtaking performance as the unstable, repressed, angry, horny, and drunken Freddy Quell, who has angered tantrums, and has weird outbursts. He becomes the main focus of the film, and the entire film centers around his traumatic and strange life. Philip Seymour Hoffman (one of the most talented dramatic actors today) plays Dodd, who appears as a lovable, funny, smart intellectual with new visions on the mind and body. But, he is later revealed to be a strange, sexually and angrily repressed, obsessed, cultist-like man who becomes obsessed with convincing everyone of his cause and who often has strange outbursts of anger and cussing. Hoffman steals the scene at the end when speaking to Phoenix about future possible lives. Hoffman is able to play such a crazy role straight, which makes the film surreal but grounded in reality at the same time, and very few films or performances are able to do that. Amy Adams plays Dodd's wife, Peggy. She at first appears to be a kind, caring, beautiful wife. She later reveals herself to be a strange, somewhat cold woman who fully believes in her husband's cause. The scene in which she gives him a hand-job in exchange to his commitment to her is disturbing and surreal. Going into the rest of the cast is pointless, even though they're terrific, because they appear as background characters because the film focuses on the first two actors, and somewhat on the third. Although one person to note is Jesse Plemons (Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad) who appears in a small role as Dodd's son. The writing, cinematography, and direction are beautifully executed, some of the shots are so gorgeously shot, it's breathtaking. The music and pacing are slow, but they pay off at the end. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone was right when he said Paul Thomas Anderson has placed himself in the league of great modern directors with this film. The Master is a beautifully crafted, albeit graphic and disturbing film, and a wonderfully written and directed film as well, see it, you owe it to yourself. 5/5 stars.
End of Watch:
Two LA cops, Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala, love each other like brothers. They begin recording their daily lives on the job, to the dismay of their fellow coworkers. Then, the two cops stumble upon a Cartel operation bigger than themselves.... Though the plot is thin, the characters are surprisingly good. Jake Gyllenhall and Michael Pena are great as Taylor and Zavala, respectively. You really feel their bond as they joke and laugh with each other on and off patrol. They can also play their roles seriously as they get scared when they sutmble upon a human trafficking operation. Anna Kendrick (Twilight, Scott Pilgrim) and Natalie Martinez are great as their wives, Janet and Gabby. The cinematography is interesting. It's a mix between found footage and a real movie. They use it to great effect, like Chronicle. The action and drama work really well, but the comedy is also very effective. It lightens the generally dark mood of the film. The film jumps around a bit, but that's why it works, it's true-to-life. Cops do drop cases sometimes and start new ones abruptly, and never look back. Not much to say, but End of Watch manages to match films like Pride and Glory but add something new, a good movie with a shocking ending. Well worth the ticket price. 3.5/5 stars.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Halloween reviews: Scream 2
Hello, if you want to see my review of Scream from yesterday, ceck out my other blog: mattsmonstermovies.com, I will be posting another eview on that blog later today to coincide with the 2-a-day reviews this month. Well, let's get on with a sequel that both tops the original, and makes a few major mistakes (well, at least one). (Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD)
Scream 2:
Two years after the events of Scream, Gale Weathers has written a book, which has been adapted into a movie, based on the killings. A young black couple are brutally murdered at the premiere night of the film, called "Stab". At Windsor College, Sidney and Randy, along with Sidney's new boyfriend Derek, their new classmate Mickey, and Sidney's new best friend Hallie, are visited by Gale Weathers, looking for a new story, Cotton Weary (the man Sid wrongfully accused of murdering he rmother a year before the events of Scream), and Dewey Riley, who informs them that the murders are happening again. once again, everyone's in the wrong place at the wrong time, so no one can truly trust each other. As the rules of the "horror sequel" are set out by Randy, Gale and Dewey grow closer together, and Sidney begins to think she could actually die this time around, as in a horror sequel, anything goes... The writing is as good as ever. Kevin Williamson is at the top of his game here. he writes the characters as more mature and less sweet. Neve Campbell still plays Sidney as shy and scared, but she has become much more of a strong chaacter since the last movie. Jamie Kennedy is back as Randy, as good as ever. he plays the role of the geeky film buff perfectly, and the scene where he talks with Dewey about possible suspects and the rules of a sequel is brilliant. (I'll get to a little problem with his character a little later in a rant at the bottom of the review.) David Arquette is once again fantastic as Dewey, now walking with a limp due to the fact his nerve was severed when he was stabbed in the back at the end of the last film. You want him to succeed in his investigation after his slight failure at the end of the last film. Courtney Cox is back as Gale Weathers, being even more btichy and irritated. But, Cox understands her character and lets her have lighter moments with Dewey, and moents where she's genuinely terrified for her and Dewey's safety in this set-up. Duane Martin shows up as comedy relief as Gale's new cameraman Joel, who is scared because what Ghostface did to Kenny, Gale's previous cameraman, at the end of the last film is a little graphic. Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps plays a couple at the beginnign of the film, Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens, who play as the Drew Barrymore for the film, as they were heavily involved in the marketing, only to be killed off early on, in the first ten minutes. Timothy Olyphant and Sarah Michelle Gellar (pre-Buffy) plays Mickey and Cici, Randy's classmates in film class, who are very cleverly casted. The casting group decided to cast (as Welshy of bliptv puts it) "big time actors in small time roles to make them more memorable". This is true, as if they were some underground actors, no-one would give a shit about their characters, but since they're played by popular stars, they're instantly memorable characters, even if their screen time is little. Elise Neal plays Hallie, Sidney's roommate and best friend. She plays a smart, sassy girl, and there's really not that much more to her than that. Jerry O'Connell plays Derek, Sidney's likeable, jocky boyfriend, who truly loves Sidney, and Sidney loves him back. Of course, it's hinted that Randy is jealous about this. Liev Shreiber (pre-Sabertooth) closes out the cast as Cotton Weary, brought in by Gale, who just wants attention and to clear his muddied name. He hints at an unstable side when he is rejected by Sidney for an interview on Diane Sawyer's program. He is mostly likeable though, and just wantsa fame and attention after beign accused of a heinous crime and doing a year of jail time. With great actors to work with, Williamson and Wes Craven really work the scares well. In a scene between Randy and Ghostface (which I'll touch upon later), the tension is built up so well, you'll stake shaking for Randy to win. Also, the climax in the drama auditorium is fantastic. The music is done well, especially in the thrilling sequences, especially the previously mentioned audiotirum finale. In many ways, Scream 2 tops the original, making it my favorite film in the series. 5/5 stars.
(Although, there is something I want to touch upon before I go.)
Rant:
(SPOILERS!!! DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU SEE FILM): The one major problem with this film is: Why the fuck did they kill off Randy? Okay, that scene between Randy and the killer I talked about, remember? Well, how it plays out is that Gale keeps recieving phone calls, and Randy answers one, which turns out to be the killer. Gale and Dewey search for anyone on a phone, and Randy engages the killer in conversation, eventually being attacked and brutally killed. The scene is played brilliantly, and the shock moment is great, but, Randy really is the heart and soul of the Scream series. He's the film geek and the expert. Now, without Randy, the filmmakers have tried to recreate his character, realizing the mistake they had made. In the thrid film, he makes a post-death cameo, in the fourth, two new characters try to take his place, to no avail. Jamie Kennedy's career died after he died in the film. In fact, Craven and Ehren Krueger, writer of the third film, almost brought him back, thinking maybe he was just wounded. They abandoned the idea, thinking it too unrealistic. Bullshit! Many othe runrealistic things happen in the first three films that are far more unrealistic than Randy's survival. Also, Ghostface taunts Randy by saying he'll never be the leading man and never get the girl. That's my problem: I thought Randy and Sidney would eventually get together, but with Randy dead, there's no-one for Sidney to have as a love interest. I'm not saying every female in a movie should have a boyfriend, but just saying. Another SPOILER: At the end of the film it's revealed Billy Loomis' mother killed Randy, well, Randy couldn't fight off a middle-aged woman when Sidney could at the end of the film. Sure, fighting in a news van is more difficult, but Randy's pretty fit, he could do it. If I could go back in time and convince Williamson and Craven this was a bad idea, and just to have Randy badly wounded, I would do it. This is the one major flaw in the Scream films, and most people felt that Scream 2 was the weakest in the series for this one major flaw. Randy is killed half-way through the film, but was rarely featured prior to that. This, to many Scream fans, is the one unforgiveable choice the writers made. It was a cool and ballsy move, but one that came at the cost of not only a great character, and not only my personal favorite, but also at the cost of a character that made the series great....
Scream 2:
Two years after the events of Scream, Gale Weathers has written a book, which has been adapted into a movie, based on the killings. A young black couple are brutally murdered at the premiere night of the film, called "Stab". At Windsor College, Sidney and Randy, along with Sidney's new boyfriend Derek, their new classmate Mickey, and Sidney's new best friend Hallie, are visited by Gale Weathers, looking for a new story, Cotton Weary (the man Sid wrongfully accused of murdering he rmother a year before the events of Scream), and Dewey Riley, who informs them that the murders are happening again. once again, everyone's in the wrong place at the wrong time, so no one can truly trust each other. As the rules of the "horror sequel" are set out by Randy, Gale and Dewey grow closer together, and Sidney begins to think she could actually die this time around, as in a horror sequel, anything goes... The writing is as good as ever. Kevin Williamson is at the top of his game here. he writes the characters as more mature and less sweet. Neve Campbell still plays Sidney as shy and scared, but she has become much more of a strong chaacter since the last movie. Jamie Kennedy is back as Randy, as good as ever. he plays the role of the geeky film buff perfectly, and the scene where he talks with Dewey about possible suspects and the rules of a sequel is brilliant. (I'll get to a little problem with his character a little later in a rant at the bottom of the review.) David Arquette is once again fantastic as Dewey, now walking with a limp due to the fact his nerve was severed when he was stabbed in the back at the end of the last film. You want him to succeed in his investigation after his slight failure at the end of the last film. Courtney Cox is back as Gale Weathers, being even more btichy and irritated. But, Cox understands her character and lets her have lighter moments with Dewey, and moents where she's genuinely terrified for her and Dewey's safety in this set-up. Duane Martin shows up as comedy relief as Gale's new cameraman Joel, who is scared because what Ghostface did to Kenny, Gale's previous cameraman, at the end of the last film is a little graphic. Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps plays a couple at the beginnign of the film, Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens, who play as the Drew Barrymore for the film, as they were heavily involved in the marketing, only to be killed off early on, in the first ten minutes. Timothy Olyphant and Sarah Michelle Gellar (pre-Buffy) plays Mickey and Cici, Randy's classmates in film class, who are very cleverly casted. The casting group decided to cast (as Welshy of bliptv puts it) "big time actors in small time roles to make them more memorable". This is true, as if they were some underground actors, no-one would give a shit about their characters, but since they're played by popular stars, they're instantly memorable characters, even if their screen time is little. Elise Neal plays Hallie, Sidney's roommate and best friend. She plays a smart, sassy girl, and there's really not that much more to her than that. Jerry O'Connell plays Derek, Sidney's likeable, jocky boyfriend, who truly loves Sidney, and Sidney loves him back. Of course, it's hinted that Randy is jealous about this. Liev Shreiber (pre-Sabertooth) closes out the cast as Cotton Weary, brought in by Gale, who just wants attention and to clear his muddied name. He hints at an unstable side when he is rejected by Sidney for an interview on Diane Sawyer's program. He is mostly likeable though, and just wantsa fame and attention after beign accused of a heinous crime and doing a year of jail time. With great actors to work with, Williamson and Wes Craven really work the scares well. In a scene between Randy and Ghostface (which I'll touch upon later), the tension is built up so well, you'll stake shaking for Randy to win. Also, the climax in the drama auditorium is fantastic. The music is done well, especially in the thrilling sequences, especially the previously mentioned audiotirum finale. In many ways, Scream 2 tops the original, making it my favorite film in the series. 5/5 stars.
(Although, there is something I want to touch upon before I go.)
Rant:
(SPOILERS!!! DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU SEE FILM): The one major problem with this film is: Why the fuck did they kill off Randy? Okay, that scene between Randy and the killer I talked about, remember? Well, how it plays out is that Gale keeps recieving phone calls, and Randy answers one, which turns out to be the killer. Gale and Dewey search for anyone on a phone, and Randy engages the killer in conversation, eventually being attacked and brutally killed. The scene is played brilliantly, and the shock moment is great, but, Randy really is the heart and soul of the Scream series. He's the film geek and the expert. Now, without Randy, the filmmakers have tried to recreate his character, realizing the mistake they had made. In the thrid film, he makes a post-death cameo, in the fourth, two new characters try to take his place, to no avail. Jamie Kennedy's career died after he died in the film. In fact, Craven and Ehren Krueger, writer of the third film, almost brought him back, thinking maybe he was just wounded. They abandoned the idea, thinking it too unrealistic. Bullshit! Many othe runrealistic things happen in the first three films that are far more unrealistic than Randy's survival. Also, Ghostface taunts Randy by saying he'll never be the leading man and never get the girl. That's my problem: I thought Randy and Sidney would eventually get together, but with Randy dead, there's no-one for Sidney to have as a love interest. I'm not saying every female in a movie should have a boyfriend, but just saying. Another SPOILER: At the end of the film it's revealed Billy Loomis' mother killed Randy, well, Randy couldn't fight off a middle-aged woman when Sidney could at the end of the film. Sure, fighting in a news van is more difficult, but Randy's pretty fit, he could do it. If I could go back in time and convince Williamson and Craven this was a bad idea, and just to have Randy badly wounded, I would do it. This is the one major flaw in the Scream films, and most people felt that Scream 2 was the weakest in the series for this one major flaw. Randy is killed half-way through the film, but was rarely featured prior to that. This, to many Scream fans, is the one unforgiveable choice the writers made. It was a cool and ballsy move, but one that came at the cost of not only a great character, and not only my personal favorite, but also at the cost of a character that made the series great....
Monday, October 1, 2012
Halloween reviews: The Faculty
Let's look at this 1998 sci-fi/horror/teen movie, from director Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Grindhouse, From Dusk Till Dawn, El Mariachi, Desperado, Spy Kids) and writer Kevin Williamson (Scream, Scream 2, Scream 4).
The Faculty:
Six high school kids: Zeke, Casey, Stokely, Delilah, Marybeth Louise, and Stan, realize that the faculty at their high school are acitng strangely, and now some students, too. They soon discover a parisitic alien invasion, similar to Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The students must try to stop the alien invasion, kill the alien queen, and save the world. The writing, in Williamson's style, is very similar to Scream, but instead of referencing horror films, they reference sci-fi films like Independence Day, Men in Black, and, of course, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The greatest thing in the writing is Williamson doesn't make the characters best friends. They are bitter enemies who become friends by banding together to stop this alien attack. The cast are fantastic. Elijah Wood (who would later be featured in Rodriguez's Sin City, star in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, and star in FX's US version of Australian TV show Wilfred) plays Casey. He is geeky, awkward, shy, and is constantly picked on. He is a photographer for the school paper, and has a huge crush on Delilah. He was the most relatable character to me, and him being a great actor added to that. He plays the role perfectly. He eventually becomes the hero of the film, which defies usual cliches, where the jock is the hero. Jordanna Brewster (who would later play Vin Diesel's sister in The Fast and the Furious) plays Delilah, who is bitchy, vindictive, and sometimes very mean. She can show a nicer side sometimes, and eventually starts to like Casey. She is also his superior in the newspaper, being a writer and editor. Shawn Hatosy plays Delilah's jock boyfriend Stan, who is the object of Stokely's affections. He quits the football team, and begins to notice something strange when the coach stops cussing team-mates out. He is a cool character, and he becomes like the co-hero. Clea DuVall plays Stokely, or "Stokes". She is a sci-fi book-reading, smart, ugly duckling character with a goth streak. She and Delilah hate each other with a passion, as Delilah tells people she's a lesbian. She becomes the main female hero of the film. Josh Hartnett plays Zeke, a drug-dealing, trouble-making punk character, who becomes the secondary hero of the film, above Stan, but below Casey. He starts to stop his "bad boy" persona towards the end of the film, shwoing his evolution into a better person. Laura Harris plays Marybeth Louise, a new kid from the South, who becomes the object of Zeke's affections. She is a sweet, caring, nice girl, who becomes the "nice girl" of the group. A young Usher plays Gabe, Stan's best friend and co-football player. He is a small background character, even though he was featured as one of the main characters on posters, in place of Marybeth, as he just started his rapping career, so he would get asses in theater seats. Robert Patrick and Piper Laurie play the football coach and one of the teachers, respectively, who are the first to be possessed by the alien threat. Famke Jansseen plays Miss Burke, an English teacher who becomes a sort-of love interest for Zeke. Bebe Neuwirth plays Principal Drake, who is possessed by the aliens, and becomes their leader. Salam Hayek plays Nurse Harper, a small role, she is not seen very much. Jon Stewart (pre-Daily Show) plays the cool science teacher: Professor Furlong, who believes the alien parasite is a new species, and discovers it duplicates itself when wet. Christopher McDonald makes a small cameo as Casey's dad, AintItCoolNews webmaster Harry Knowles plays a faculty member known as Mr. Knowles, and Texas newspaper publisher Louis Black (no relation to comedian Lewis Black) plays Mr. Black. (Why an Texan publisher? Well, this, like all of Rodriguez's films, was shot in his home-town of Austin, texas.) The action is great. The scenes with the aliens are edge-of-your-seat moments, and never knwoing if someone is infected is truly scary. It never is uneven though, it always feels like a fun, campy popcorn movie, which it is. Unfortunately, at only an hour and half, it's far too short. i wanted more, but, unfortunately the film didn't have sequels, which was probably better. Like Williamson's other wriing venture, the Scream series, I grew attached to these likeable characters, so in a sequel, like Scream 2, they might've pulled a dumb move like killing off a major character. I wouldn't want that to happen. Overall, The Faculty is a fun, edge-of-your-seat sci-fi romp that will leave you satisfied by the time the credits roll. 5/5 stars.
(Also, *SPOILERS!!!!* during the credits, it shows what happened to a character you thought to be dead.)
The Faculty:
Six high school kids: Zeke, Casey, Stokely, Delilah, Marybeth Louise, and Stan, realize that the faculty at their high school are acitng strangely, and now some students, too. They soon discover a parisitic alien invasion, similar to Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The students must try to stop the alien invasion, kill the alien queen, and save the world. The writing, in Williamson's style, is very similar to Scream, but instead of referencing horror films, they reference sci-fi films like Independence Day, Men in Black, and, of course, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The greatest thing in the writing is Williamson doesn't make the characters best friends. They are bitter enemies who become friends by banding together to stop this alien attack. The cast are fantastic. Elijah Wood (who would later be featured in Rodriguez's Sin City, star in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, and star in FX's US version of Australian TV show Wilfred) plays Casey. He is geeky, awkward, shy, and is constantly picked on. He is a photographer for the school paper, and has a huge crush on Delilah. He was the most relatable character to me, and him being a great actor added to that. He plays the role perfectly. He eventually becomes the hero of the film, which defies usual cliches, where the jock is the hero. Jordanna Brewster (who would later play Vin Diesel's sister in The Fast and the Furious) plays Delilah, who is bitchy, vindictive, and sometimes very mean. She can show a nicer side sometimes, and eventually starts to like Casey. She is also his superior in the newspaper, being a writer and editor. Shawn Hatosy plays Delilah's jock boyfriend Stan, who is the object of Stokely's affections. He quits the football team, and begins to notice something strange when the coach stops cussing team-mates out. He is a cool character, and he becomes like the co-hero. Clea DuVall plays Stokely, or "Stokes". She is a sci-fi book-reading, smart, ugly duckling character with a goth streak. She and Delilah hate each other with a passion, as Delilah tells people she's a lesbian. She becomes the main female hero of the film. Josh Hartnett plays Zeke, a drug-dealing, trouble-making punk character, who becomes the secondary hero of the film, above Stan, but below Casey. He starts to stop his "bad boy" persona towards the end of the film, shwoing his evolution into a better person. Laura Harris plays Marybeth Louise, a new kid from the South, who becomes the object of Zeke's affections. She is a sweet, caring, nice girl, who becomes the "nice girl" of the group. A young Usher plays Gabe, Stan's best friend and co-football player. He is a small background character, even though he was featured as one of the main characters on posters, in place of Marybeth, as he just started his rapping career, so he would get asses in theater seats. Robert Patrick and Piper Laurie play the football coach and one of the teachers, respectively, who are the first to be possessed by the alien threat. Famke Jansseen plays Miss Burke, an English teacher who becomes a sort-of love interest for Zeke. Bebe Neuwirth plays Principal Drake, who is possessed by the aliens, and becomes their leader. Salam Hayek plays Nurse Harper, a small role, she is not seen very much. Jon Stewart (pre-Daily Show) plays the cool science teacher: Professor Furlong, who believes the alien parasite is a new species, and discovers it duplicates itself when wet. Christopher McDonald makes a small cameo as Casey's dad, AintItCoolNews webmaster Harry Knowles plays a faculty member known as Mr. Knowles, and Texas newspaper publisher Louis Black (no relation to comedian Lewis Black) plays Mr. Black. (Why an Texan publisher? Well, this, like all of Rodriguez's films, was shot in his home-town of Austin, texas.) The action is great. The scenes with the aliens are edge-of-your-seat moments, and never knwoing if someone is infected is truly scary. It never is uneven though, it always feels like a fun, campy popcorn movie, which it is. Unfortunately, at only an hour and half, it's far too short. i wanted more, but, unfortunately the film didn't have sequels, which was probably better. Like Williamson's other wriing venture, the Scream series, I grew attached to these likeable characters, so in a sequel, like Scream 2, they might've pulled a dumb move like killing off a major character. I wouldn't want that to happen. Overall, The Faculty is a fun, edge-of-your-seat sci-fi romp that will leave you satisfied by the time the credits roll. 5/5 stars.
(Also, *SPOILERS!!!!* during the credits, it shows what happened to a character you thought to be dead.)
October and Halloween reviews
Hey guys, this october I am going to do 2 reviews a day of horror, thriller, and sci-fi films (separate from reviews of new films), one review on my main blog: mattcottermovies.blogspot.com, and one on my horror/sci-fi blog: mattsmonstermovie.blogspot.com Well, this is October 1st, so let's get started....
Reel Time: The Hunger Games
I've decided to re-evaluate one of my earliest reviews: The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games:
Although Jennifer Lawrence and Woody Harrelson were good, this film is an unoriginal and bland teen movie, reminiscent of Twilight. That's all I have to say. 2/5 stars.
The Hunger Games:
Although Jennifer Lawrence and Woody Harrelson were good, this film is an unoriginal and bland teen movie, reminiscent of Twilight. That's all I have to say. 2/5 stars.
YouTube
Hey, check out my YouTube channel, by the same name as the blog: mattcottermovies. The videos are pretty crappy, but hey, I'm starting out at the whole video thing.