May 27, 2008
· Filed under movie review · Tagged go green, horror, movie review, thriller
This Memorial Day weekend I watched a few movies. The most memorable being The Last Winter directed by Larry Fessenden with Ron Perlman and James LeGros starring. I had read a good review about it in EW magazine and had waited a while for it to come out. It sucks how those independent films always take forever to come out on DVD after they leave theaters. And they aren’t ever in theaters long enough to see them either. A week tops where I live. Be Kind Rewind was only in theaters for a week; so sad and such a great movie too.
But anyways…so the movie starts out with a lot of artistic white-out shots of the tundra in Alaska; beautiful filming with little images here and there of the cast on snowmobiles. It slowly picks up with the cast filing into place in the plot, and I can’t say that the character dynamic isn’t predictable but still it manages to keep your attention with the slight sense of something being eerie about the setting and the characters being there. 
The general reasoning for these people being in the middle of nowhere is oil, and lots of it. The characters are divided by the “greenies” or the environmentalists hired by the oil company and the oil company employees. I wasn’t really expecting the plot to go the way that it did, it twists from being eerie to down right creepy with the simple matter of a home made video tape (that just so happens to have nudity - R- rated). From there things start to fall apart for everyone, and I mean everyone.
My only complaint about this great film was the villains (or their visual attributes at least). Seemingly to me a kid pencil drawing but then again were they even there to begin with or just the mind playing tricks? The movie never says for sure only that something caused the deaths. Gas from the ground? Creatures? Who knows…Crazy either way. It was a great movie with an original concept. Fresh and beautifully shot. I really liked it.
May 16, 2008
· Filed under movie review · Tagged guillermo del toro, horror, movie review
I have waited what seems like forever to finally see this movie. I read great review after review and sadly didn’t get it view it in theaters. When it finally came out on DVD I did what I normally don’t do, I bought it before seeing it. I almost never do that and I don’t recommend it but Buster’s didn’t have it the two times I went so I just gave into the pressure and bought the darn thing.
I was expecting a supernatural-thriller that would keep me covering my eyes and jumping out of my seat. The kind of movie that makes me embarrassed to watch in theaters because I hide behind my fingers during the really scary parts. I really thought this one would rival some of the Asian horror-flicks that I love so much when it comes to scares but I was not exactly disappointed as much as I was surprised that it was more of a drama than a thriller. I was afraid a few times but most of the “thrills” were a matter of suspense building to a not-so creepy end. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy this movie, because to the contrary I loved it. It just wasn’t what I had expected.
The story is basically about a Mother who after returning to her childhood home which just so happened to be a really creepy Orphanage, looses her son and spends the majority of the movie trying to find him. The bond between the mother and her son is very moving and you really feel for the Mother who is willing to do whatever it takes to find her son. The creepiness is overshadowed by the sadness and helplessness that the Mother feels for the loss of her son. The ghosts in the film which you see on the commercials are not so much scary as they are sad because they are children. There is one particularly moving scene when a paranormal investigator/medium visits the home in search of the son and she encounters the children and they are in such torment that I got chills.
The ending is very emotional and I admit to shedding a few tears. So if you are interested in a tear-jerker with a few spooks and thrills then this one is definitely for you. And if you enjoyed this film try seeing other Del-Toro haunts like The Devils Backbone.
April 21, 2008
· Filed under book review · Tagged book review, haunting, horror, Matheson
Last night I stayed up until 1 a.m. reading Richard Matheson’s Hell House and I finally finished it before passing out. I had become a fan of Matheson’s ever since reading I Am Legend and saw on the back of Hell House’s cover when I picked it up that Stephen King claimed it to be one of the best haunted house novels ever written. Once I saw that I had to buy it and for the most part I wasn’t disappointed.
The book starts off with very little back story; just enough information to let you know where things will be taking place and for what purpose. You meet Dr. Lionel Barrett who is a brilliant and strictly scientific man who is hired by a dying millionaire to prove there is life after death at the most haunted house ever documented, the Belasco House or Hell House. From there the book introduces two mediums and Barrett’s wife all of whom enter the house for a weeks stay to seek out what haunts the house.
The different personalities of the characters in the story really were the most interesting part once the “House” itself started to manifest paranormal activity. How each character was affected differently and what that meant to everyone else in the story. I enjoyed reading about how Dr. Barrett’s conflict with one of the mediums escalates to a series of unfortunate events for both characters. The most interesting character of all I thought was the Dr.’s wife Edith. She basically releases of a great deal of repressed wants and feelings that have a very negative effect on the others but mostly on her.
The ending was a bit of a rollercoaster I thought with the last quarter of the book flying through theories and questions page by page. It gets a little confusing to be honest like a mystery with too many possible endings but then finally it comes to a close and makes more sense. I was a little surprised at the ending, in a good way and even a bit amused. I will leave it at that. Overall I would recommend it for a very mature reader who can handle extremes the likes of The Exorcist and one who likes a good horror mystery.
April 17, 2008
· Filed under movie review · Tagged horror, movie review
Now don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of good independent horror. Emphasis on the good in that sentence; however this past year’s Horror fest was a big disappointment for me. Not that the year before was amazing or anything but when you pay full ticket price for a movie at the theater you expect more than Sci-Fi Channel B movie entertainment. I haven’t seen all of the films in the entire 8 collection; only a select few that I had heard were the best. This is my take on those:
Mulberry St. Basics: Rat People
This was the first film I saw out of the bunch and honestly it wasn’t really that bad despite the premise being rat people. The acting was pretty good and the special effects/makeup was impressive. It reminded me of a zombie flick like a George A. Romero film but with rats. It had its comic relief obviously and yet still had a bit of a family theme tied in. The ending was not what I expected at all and definitely leaves you wanting to know what happens next. I wonder if there will be a sequel. If the writers and director are smart they will leave it as is and let the audience wonder.
Tooth and Nail Basics: Cannibals meet Ryder Strong, Oh No!
I rented this one from Blockbuster and should’ve known by the tone the check out guy used at the counter that I was in for a real disappointment here. I am a fan of Ryder Strong and when I saw he played in this film it got my attention but after seeing it I think he probably would’ve been better if he hadn’t been in this film at all. It was totally predictable, all the way through. I could’ve told you what was going to happen from the very beginning. Sad really because the cast was promising and it could have been good if the plot had been more original. It basically revolves around the end of civilization, lack of food and a band of cannibals who pillage the innocent. The only thing is you learn nothing about the cannibals (which would have made things more interesting) and it focuses on long chase and hide scenes that get old way too fast.
Borderland Basics: Who the hell pissed off the hobbit?
Sam’s packing heat and he ain’t happy in this film. I say that although he is not the main character, but in my opinion he should’ve been. I was really bored throughout this film till he showed up half way through. This movie is really centered on Satanists in Mexico who torture and sacrifice unsuspecting travelers and snooping cops. Lots of Hostel-like gore and torture scenes lead to a flat ending in this based on a true story horror flick. Unless you want to see a hobbit curse and get ugly then I would miss this one.
The Deaths of Ian Stone Basics: Love conquers all, even creepy life stealers.
By far the best of the bunch, this film was the only one that had a true Hollywood blockbuster feel to it. I saw it in theaters and honestly it could have done just fine on it’s own without the Horror fest to back it up. With impressive acting and great special effects that added to a smart and original plot line this film was fun to watch and it kept my attention. Synopsis being basically that Ian keeps dying in different situations with the same main characters in his life and he doesn’t know why. He has to figure it out or keep suffering this fate. With an awesome ending I highly recommend this one. I don’t usually buy horror films unless they really impress me and this one I am considering buying.
