Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
5:42 PM
The DEN OF GEEK released their "Top Fifty Special Effects Shots" lists. Ofttimes I dismiss various "top 50 lists" as bogus, but for once, here's a list where I can't really complain about any of the choices; the larger 'famous' effects (Metropolis, the Day the Earth Stood Still, Jason and the Argonauts) share time with the more subtle "hey, how did they do that?" moments, such as Forrest Gump lifting fully limbed Gary Sinise playing legless Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump. Of course, I know my favorite, perhaps the most referenced special effects shot of them all.
2:00 PM
I got there late. I only missed LAKE PLACID, and that's no great loss, I've seen it.
Bob had PLANET TERROR playing, and even though I missed the beginning I quickly got into it.. PT is a wonderfully directed, fast paced and tongue in cheek homage to 70s era Zombie flicks. I loved it-- it had all the classic cliches. The scratched film stock, aping film stock from the era, was sheer genius.
This was part of the GRINDHOUSE duet, a big movie composed of two small ones by Robert Rodriguez and Quenton Tarantino. As a single movie it flopped. Broken into two movies for DVD release, it has experienced some success.
Next one (and best one) was THE DESCENT. This is another movie by Neil Marshall, the gent who directed DOG SOLDIERS (which I love!), and it does not disappoint. You couldn't ask for a more different movie from Dog Soldiers-- in story, in performance, in characterization and especially in the creep factor.
I see a lot of horror movies. Obviously, if you read this blog regularly you arlready know horror is one of my favorite film genres. Very rarely do I get a genuine scare. Moments of feigned dread, perhaps, but not fear. The Descent touches on one of my own manias-- claustrophobia, and also delivers one incredibly manic, horrific tale with great protaganist and a surprisingly multi-faceted plot. Does the Descent mean the obvious (a group of athletic young women on a caving expedition that goes horribly wrong) or does it mean something more subtle than that-- one woman's descent into madness? The ending doesn't tell you one way or an other.
Last one on the DVD Player was the second half of GRINDHOUSE, DEATH PROOF. I rather like Tarantino usually, but this film did its very best to sink the Grindhouse project. For one thing, there's too much dialogue, and it's ALL Quentin Tarantino talking to himself. I don't know ANYone who talks quite the way QT does in real life. He writes some clever screenplays but they are starting to sound awfully reverential and larded with endlessly run on sentences delivered in a style that would have done justice to Pam Grier.
An old poster; the incomparable Kurt Russell took the main role as Stuntman Mike, replacing Rourke. In my book, there's no comparison... Russell was the better choice.
Speaking of reverential, every film by QT (except, perhaps, Jackie Brown) makes it into Death Proof in some form. The guy is on an Easter Egg binge-- the movie does share characters, lines, and movie references from QT's earlier movies. Personally, I hated the dialogue. It was overlong and maybe TOO derivative of earlier sources. To a woman, the actresses ALL seemed like they were Quentin Tarantino in drag, enacting Tarantino's fantasy image of what a tough 70s cinema chick ought to be. He badly needs a collaborator..
I hope he can return to form on his next project.
Bob had PLANET TERROR playing, and even though I missed the beginning I quickly got into it.. PT is a wonderfully directed, fast paced and tongue in cheek homage to 70s era Zombie flicks. I loved it-- it had all the classic cliches. The scratched film stock, aping film stock from the era, was sheer genius.
This was part of the GRINDHOUSE duet, a big movie composed of two small ones by Robert Rodriguez and Quenton Tarantino. As a single movie it flopped. Broken into two movies for DVD release, it has experienced some success.
Next one (and best one) was THE DESCENT. This is another movie by Neil Marshall, the gent who directed DOG SOLDIERS (which I love!), and it does not disappoint. You couldn't ask for a more different movie from Dog Soldiers-- in story, in performance, in characterization and especially in the creep factor.
I see a lot of horror movies. Obviously, if you read this blog regularly you arlready know horror is one of my favorite film genres. Very rarely do I get a genuine scare. Moments of feigned dread, perhaps, but not fear. The Descent touches on one of my own manias-- claustrophobia, and also delivers one incredibly manic, horrific tale with great protaganist and a surprisingly multi-faceted plot. Does the Descent mean the obvious (a group of athletic young women on a caving expedition that goes horribly wrong) or does it mean something more subtle than that-- one woman's descent into madness? The ending doesn't tell you one way or an other.
Last one on the DVD Player was the second half of GRINDHOUSE, DEATH PROOF. I rather like Tarantino usually, but this film did its very best to sink the Grindhouse project. For one thing, there's too much dialogue, and it's ALL Quentin Tarantino talking to himself. I don't know ANYone who talks quite the way QT does in real life. He writes some clever screenplays but they are starting to sound awfully reverential and larded with endlessly run on sentences delivered in a style that would have done justice to Pam Grier.
An old poster; the incomparable Kurt Russell took the main role as Stuntman Mike, replacing Rourke. In my book, there's no comparison... Russell was the better choice.Speaking of reverential, every film by QT (except, perhaps, Jackie Brown) makes it into Death Proof in some form. The guy is on an Easter Egg binge-- the movie does share characters, lines, and movie references from QT's earlier movies. Personally, I hated the dialogue. It was overlong and maybe TOO derivative of earlier sources. To a woman, the actresses ALL seemed like they were Quentin Tarantino in drag, enacting Tarantino's fantasy image of what a tough 70s cinema chick ought to be. He badly needs a collaborator..
I hope he can return to form on his next project.
1:19 PM
Rise of the Silver Surfer
Gar and I took in a matinee last Saturday.
Typical Sequelitis stuff is creeping in, and it's all very predictable: Sue and Reed wanna get married, see, and have a normal life. The same superhero angst that Spiderman II investigates (and made that movie so good, where in this movie it's only familiar territory). Stresses ensue. The Silver Surfer shows up, and reminds 'em that his job is to herald destruction. Yikes, we better get our (humanity) act together, etc., work together for all mankind, etc, get betrayed, etc...
One thing I'm starting to notice is that the cutesie idea of adding a Stan Lee cameo to every single movie made from a Marvel plotline is starting to lose it's visual power. I mean, c'mon, all of us comic book geeks knew who he was in the first place, right? And a whole other generation is watching So You Want to Be a Superhero these days. Do you really think Stan is all that anonymous anymore? Sheesh! Still, his "product placement" was a nice riff on the whole Hitchcockian "my image must be in every story" concept-- I won't give it away but he kind of gets short shrift (and even refers to himself by his given name, instead of a kindly stranger giving the hero some advice). Excelsior, Stan!
Galactus, whom the Surfer works for or worked for in the Marvel timeline... well, in THIS movie, he's a bit of a disappointment, visually. I was hoping for something like the one pictured. The movie version was a giant turd-colored cloud (I'm not giving that away, btw, you can see it in all the previews). On the plus side, they NAILED the Silver Surfer, right down to solemn Lawrence Fishburne voice over.
The plot result was, eh, kind of predictable, right down to the big "faux sacrifice" ending-- but there was more depth in evidence in both the performances AND the storyline. I actually enjoyed it, for what it was.. which is a comic book movie Gar cajoled me into taking him to.
11:22 AM
This movie...
Sucked so HARD I got pulled from my seat!
Three hours of pretentious, meandering, self important dialogue that serves as a framework for the latest Brukenheimermania "Money Shot" effects orgasm.
I actually fell asleep. Many times, even with kids prodding me. Overlong, boring, overhyped, badly shot, confusing plot, amateurish storyline. And Keira Knightly is neither much to look at or even remotely anything other than wooden in this thing. I suppose I should give her points for being a pirate's dream (possessing a sunken chest), but why go there, I ask you? (Ah thenk yew!) The thespian accomplishments of one O. Bloom aren't going to make anyone other than my 12 year old daughter take notice, but the other star of this romp, Depp, is getting that "I'm phoning it in to pay for my French Chateau" look these days. The only highlight was seeing Keith Richards (I think) briefly, as Depp's character's father.
What's not to like? Well, er, all of it. I wept for the lost hours, and there were many. I winced that they were clearly setting up another movie at the end. Egad.
7:24 AM
Back from the Grave?
Noticed in Reuters/Hollywood Reporter/Yahoo News:
Hammer Films has risen from the grave
By Stuart Kemp
Reuters - Friday, May 11 12:13 pm
LONDON (Hollywood Reporter) - The coffin lid for cult British horror label Hammer Film Prods. has been pried open once again, this time by a group of European investors.
(Advertisement)
The consortium -- which includes such industry players as Dutch reality-TV mogul John de Mol and Hollywood producers Guy East and Nigel Sinclair -- plans to resurrect the dormant label and put it back into production for the big and small screen alike.
No financial details of the deal, which includes Hammer's 295-title library, were given, but those close to the deal said it was in the millions of dollars.
The new management team is headed by former Liberty Global European executives Simon Oakes and Marc Schipper, with East and Sinclair of Los Angeles-based label Spitfire Pictures on board as non-executive directors.
Oakes said in an interview that the business plan will concentrate on making films under the Hammer banner rather than initially trying to resurrect some of the old titles.
Hammer, founded in 1949, is best known for its gothic horror productions in the 1950s and 1960s. The banner was responsible for the classic movie series of Dracula, Frankenstein and Quatermass, forever imprinting its "Hammer House of Horror" slogan here and abroad.
Oakes said East and Sinclair would give the company entree in Hollywood and "access to the best writers and talent" looking to make horror films.
Prior to the deal announced Thursday, Hammer had been in advanced negotiations to join forces with independent production firm Ealing Studios .
That deal fell apart because of concerns surrounding Hammer's valuation of its film library. The other problem facing any new owner is a rights horror story. Several high-profile titles such as those starring "Dracula" and "The Werewolf" are tied up by studios, including Warner Bros., Columbia and Universal, with remake rights and ownership of characters a legal minefield.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Attribution: Copyright 2007 Reuters Inc.
9:58 AM
I'm no fan of Fast Zombies
From a recent article reprint in SLATE by Josh Levin:How did Movie Zombies Get So Fast?
sections copyright, 21 MAY 07, Slate Magazine and Josh Levin
It's not for nothing that zombies are called the walking dead. In George A. Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead (1968), a group of shut-ins sits in terror, watching television for the latest updates on the creeping undead menace. "Are they slow-moving, chief?" asks a reporter. "Yeah," the cop says wearily, "they're dead."
Romero's canonical trilogy, which also includes Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985), emphasizes the zombie's drag-ass nature. Corpses shuffle so slowly that a potential victim can fall, brush herself off, remove her pumps, and set off again without being touched by a necrotic finger. Max Brooks' book The Zombie Survival Guide, a tongue-in-cheek tutorial for surviving the living dead, notes, "Zombies appear to be incapable of running. The fastest have been observed to move at a rate of barely one step per 1.5 seconds."
But in Zack Snyder's new Dawn of the Dead remake, the zombie has a newfound vigor. In the film's opening scene, a vacant-eyed zombie girl charges through a wooden door and into a couple's bedroom. After the zombie savagely bites her husband in the neck, Ana (Sarah Polley) escapes and drives away, only to have her recently deceased-and-undeceased husband keep chase with a full-out sprint that calls to mind Terminator 2's superhuman killing machine.
The rest of Mr. Levin's article is HERE.
Even though the article is somewhat tongue in cheek, and how could it not be, given the subject matter, I found myself pondering this one. Why fast zombies, indeed? Oh, one can make the point that the fast runners in 28 DAYS were actually infected humans, but they were clearly LOOKING like the undead. And the new DAWN OF THE DEAD, despite the fact that I found it tremendously entertaining, certainly was a shock with zombies that could beat a human in the short sprint.
What has changed with the horror movie going public that fast zombies became popular? Diminished expectations, increasing cynicism, or the willingness to approve of such horrendous tinkering with the Zombie Coda? Maybe a mix of all of these. The great thing about Romero-esque movies was that you could always outrun zombies, and they were dangerous only in mass attack situations, and when you run out of ammo. With FAST RUNNING zombies, it's a wonder that the human race isn't wiped out in no time flat. Zombies are a metaphor for plague-- slow, inexorable, patient.. They aren't an assault weapon. Zombie movies of the Romero era had hope-- sure the situation sucked. Undead rising and all that.. but as long as you had a shotgun, some guts, and the ability to keep moving, you would win out in the end. With these new zombie movies, there's no hope at all. I guess I'm old fashioned at heart.
10:01 AM
Continuing our Victorian Theme
Do check out A GENTLEMAN'S DUEL, a new short from Blur Studios. Aside from haveing a very lush look, it is also quite Steampunkish-- there's even a hint of steam powered automatons at one point.
Click to view the QUICKTIME TRAILER.
4:44 PM
Premium Morricone.. if you have the bandwidth
My friend Dave Starry sent me this bit, knowing that I am a fan of the 60s thriller Danger:Diabolik starring John Law, as well as the famous movie score composer Enio Morricone:
Hello Mr. Nizz, just thought I'd steer you towards this since I know you're also a Diabolik fan. I've been a bit of a music blog junkie of late and uncovered the soundtrack available for download at this site...
Click to proceed
The blog in question will take you to a RAPIDSHARE account, which apparently requires you to set up an accout. I guess I can live with that!
1:48 PM
Check out IFC's response to TMC's UNDERGROUND series..
Bubba Ho-Tep
Jan. 5 at midnight ET
Bruce Campbell plays Elvis, who, it turns out, is not dead but has been living out his embittered days in a Texas nursing home until he finds a new reason to live – fighting an evil mummy.
Coffin Joe: At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul
Jan. 12 at midnight ET
The first of the Coffin Joe films introduces the titlular top hat-sporting Brazilian horror icon, a sadistic undertaker obsessed with finding the "ideal" woman to bear his child.
Coffin Joe: This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse
Jan. 19 at midnight ET
Joe, with the help of crazed assitant Bruno, continues to search for a woman "immune" to terror, testing potential fiances by planting tarantulas on them.
Coffin Joe: Awakening of the Beast
Jan. 26 at midnight ET
Four drug addicts are chosen from out of a debaucherous group to take part in an LSD experiment – but are they under the influence of LSD or Coffin Joe?
Click on the banner ad to hyperlink there...
1:18 PM
With Sam Raimi at the helm!
Good news in the pulp fiction front. Sam Raimi, the highly capable director of the new Spiderman movie franchise and the older Darkman films, along with, oh, a little film project called THE EVIL DEAD TRILOGY! (Duh) is signed to direct the next incarnation of a movie adaption of the old SHADOW story. As in Lamont Cranston, and the power to cloud men's minds, and Margo Lane, and "Who Knows the Evil that Lurks in the Hearts of Men?", and all that.
FULL STORY HERE
Sam has been hit and miss over the years, obviously hitting quite solidly with Spiderman 1&2 (and by all predictions, 3). And the Evil Dead series, particularly Army of Darkness, well, that's just great fun to watch. Of course, he also was involved in some turkeys, like THE QUICK AND THE DEAD. Frankly I don't care. The source material is well documented and he will have a wealth of good stories to work with. My only concern is that they might try another stupid maneuver like brining the Shadow into a modern setting. Say what you like about the 1994 Alec Baldwin Shadow movie (and much there is to say!) it LOOKED right. The setting, costumes, etc. were just right. The Shadow doesn't work in a modern continuum. Keep him in the 1930s!
12:59 AM
Now that's progressive theater!
EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL is now playing in NYC, at the slightly off broadway New World Stage, in New York City. This definitely looks to be a cult hit to me. I like the idea a lot, but found out way too late to make plans.
Evil Dead: The Musical, a ‘dis-arm-ingly’ riotous musical comedy based on Sam Raimi’s 80s cult-classic horror films, unearths the old familiar story: boy and his friends take a weekend getaway at abandoned cabin, boy expects to get lucky, boy unleashes ancient evil spirit, friends turn into Candarian Demons, boy fights until dawn to survive. As musical mayhem descends upon this sleepover in the woods, “camp” takes on a whole new meaning in uproarious numbers like “All the Men in my Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons,” “Look Who’s Evil Now” and “Do the Necronomicon.” Buzzing chainsaws and dancing demons add to the frenzy, slaying audiences with this tale of lust, love and dismemberment.
Important Notice
The first two rows of the orchestra are the “Splatter Zone." Patrons in the “Splatter Zone” should be prepared to have a bloody good time…and dress accordingly.
I like the sounds of that last sentence.. heh heh heh...
With a little luck, it might go on the road, who knows?
If you can make it, tickets are available by pressing the button.
11:58 AM
Brother George!
At least it looks like him.
Way back in the day one of my favorite Public Access shows on earth issued forth from Lexington Kentucky. It was called Brains on Film, and it was great while it lasted. My own (failed) public access show, NICK RENO'S NEIGHBORHOOD, shamelessly tried to emulate their format. The Brains (Professor Tread, Brother George, and Jumpin' Joe) tried to get into the internet "thing" a while back and for a while, the BoF bulletin board was really jumping... sadly, Tread's schedule consigned it to oblivion from neglect.
So imagine my surprise and pleasure to see the Brains are back (sort of) and this time in front of a camera again. Brother George (I think... he's almost unrecognizable) is now doing reviews fro HyperReview.com, a "Brains on Film Production".
Reviews are short, irreverant, and very, very funny. I absolutely recommend this. Or should I say.. "if you like this sort of thing, you'll love this sort of thing.."
Meaning, reviews of horror and exploitation flicks.
We'll, you'll get it once you see it.
