Wednesday, October 20, 2010

I hate Advertising Ad-Fest Volume Dos

Beat boxing? A silly yet rhythmic way to "get it done" in the rap game. But if you give that ability to a beaver.....comedy gold....I love this bit, spit and all.

I hate Advertising Ad-Fest Volume Uno

Despite it's popularity at the time, and it's retro-admiration now, I've always liked the song "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran, but never been certain why....
On the other hand, I adore Bruce Campbell, not just due to his cult status with Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" series, but his supporting turns on "Burn Notice", and the obviously noticeable chops as an actor in "Bubba Ho-Tep", among other films. The man has game....but overall, his sarcastic sense of humor and self-deprecating ability to charm you is never more evident than in his autobiography "If Chins Could Kill", and his novel "Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way", both literary classics I highly recommend.

But this Old Spice commercial?, flat out fuckin' gold.....

Monday, October 11, 2010

Halloween Heroes: Perkins 14




"Perkins 14" is three different movies in one, really....

A.) A melodrama concerning a police officer dealing with the lingering misery of a son who was abducted some ten years ago, and damaged relationships with his philandering and ignored wife and rebellious daughter.

B.) A potential conspiracy/paranoia riff. Our hero cop believes, with little reason initally, an incarcerated speeder may have been the one who abducted his son, and 13 other children those many years ago.

C.) A bloodfest splatter flick, with the "Rio Bravo", "Night of the Living Dead", "Assault on Precinct 13" flavorings....It's well done...

Telling you anything at all, I risk giving away what are many surprises and twists and turns that make this one fun to watch....It's a slow burn initially, so it requires a patient viewer, but one who won't be dissatisfied with neither the drama or the gore.

Chris Singer directed this little flick with some skill, and snappy editing covers some uneven performances save for the absolutely heartbreaking turn by Michaela Mihut as a conflicted woman is both dedicated to her husband, and neglected by him....it hurts to watch her hurt. Watch for her, she's good.

I initially was uncertain how I felt about it, especially after a cold-cock ending, but the versatility of the film from beginning to end had me thinking about it in a positive light for days afterward, despite "Perkins 14"'s tremendous darkness. No, Chris Singer is a director who wanted to make some noise with his first horror feature, and love it or hate it, "Perkins 14" does just that....

Samhain Project Op-Ed: Aidan Will & Midnight Movie

Original Post:  10/11/2010

This review is posted by my kiddo, and pride and Joy Aidan Zeus Will





In recent years, as most people are aware of, there have been a slew of Slasher film remakes, from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, My Bloody Valentine, to Friday The 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. most of these films, while often entertaining, are nothing remarkable or interesting. what perhaps the majority of general audiences aren't aware of are the original Slashers coming out since 2007, The new blood.

among these new murderers is Ted Radford, the antagonist of 'Midnight Movie', directed by Jack Messitt. This Man's intentions seem about the same as every other Slashers, kill the shit out an entourage of teenagers, showing the world who's boss. But he has a different way of executing it. Ted starts out as the director of an early 1970's horror flick "The Dark Beneath". this film is essentially Texas Chainsaw Massacre with different characters, but that's not important. this film (or perhaps Ted himself) has ambiguous supernatural powers. the origin or extent of these powers is not particularly clear, but they allow Radford to essentially control the entire Theater building at which its screening. Of course he himself enters the fray, donned in the outfit of his "The Dark Beneath" killer, with a primitive drill, that will be used for less than constructive things.

The characters are surprisingly believable, entertaining, and developing through out the duration of the story for a film like this, and a few you come to feel bad for as they are brutally destroyed by Ted. most of these are the usual teenagers, but you get a couple of detectives, a small child, and a biker couple. while it sounds uninteresting, the above-par writing forms almost all of these people into dynamic characters.

after viewing the film, it becomes apparent that this film needs, and deserves, a proper sequel, as we barely came to understand the character of Ted and his powers. this is sadly unlikely, as the film didn't receive much attention, but we can dream, and here's hoping Ted Radford somehow finds his way into the hall of always-remembered psychotic murdering heroes.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Halloween Heroes: Just Before Dawn







Originally Posted, October 6, 2010

In the early 80's the slasher market became oversaturated, and as a result it was an inevitability that now and then a good one would slip through the cracks...."Just Before Dawn" is a Jeff Liebermann film that somehow managed to make a giant northwest forest seem claustrophobic. This was helped by a strong synth score by Brad Fiedel, who would go on to do the "Terminator" films.

Virtually no one saw the film upon release in 1981, and it didn't see a DVD release until Shriek Show put it out in 2005. (and apparently there's issues with that one. I guess there are subsequent release that capture the full film, but be prepared to take out a small loan) The cast features a young Gregg Henry who many will recognize from "Payback" and "Slither". In the latter, he was comic genius as the obnoxious mayor of the town suffering from slug and splatter circumstances.

A typical splatter movie set up, young party-harders head off to forested land, in this case an inheritance for Henry's character, despite the warnings of the "old man with the scary story", this time none other than George Kennedy. Chris Lemmon provides some comic relief...there's nudity (of course), but what may be the weirdest stalker in slasher history, and a strange family living on Henry's land.

Beautiful cinematography, great locale selection, and some serious tension help this one in locking itself a position in the "better than most of the genre/era" category....a little tough to locate (internet may be your best option) but damn-well worth it. If you're looking for a "stalking madman" movie that actually provides some real atmosphere and tight moments, this is a good suggestion.

Throwback: Behind the Mask




This movie is kinked from the beginning. In two ways: It's a mock documentary, first and foremost, and when "shit goes down" it turns into a top notch slasher film. The second way is that it takes place in a universe where Michael Myers, Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, et al are real and unapprehended serial killers who haunt their hometowns on an annual basis.

Leslie Vernon (played here with panache by Nathan Baesel), is an "up and comer", a slasher who is just trying to start his "career". A documentary film crew works with him, in an attempt to put his actions to film, and look into the whys and hows....there's a hamfisted allegory here about how the media not only glorifies the exploits of the sick and twisted, but also tends to take a step back and film as opposed to helping potential victims. Alas this movie is too much fun to get caught up in all of the social commentary.

As the doc unfolds, Vernon accumulates all the necessary pieces of the pie that after being baked is a completed hack and slash film. Virginal victim, dumbass horndog teenagers in a less-than-intelligent locale for ease of mutilation, and of course, an "Ahab".....a doctor/hero type in pursuit of this murderous individual...in this case, it's none other than Robert Englund.

There are twists aplenty, and a ton of real smart, solid humor mixed in that make this horror flick above the fray of the recent re-flooding of the slasher movie market. Give this one a go, it's way worth it....plus it has the best usage of the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" I think I've seen....

Halloween Heroes: Frozen




It's refreshing as hell, when I come across these "low volume" horror films....
A small cast, claustrophobic surroundings, snappy editing, and solid direction. This one, a tense thriller about three young people trapped 50 feet in the air on a ski-lift when the resort shuts down does remind one of "Open Water", but you forget that once it gets going.

Adam Green, who made a completely different kind of horror movie with the 80's homage, "Hatchet" is responsible for this, an edge of your seat flick, based on something that could actually happen.....this isn't a demon, a slasher, or some sort of apocalyptic outbreak that is the antagonist.

It's circumstances.

You can imagine yourself going through the nightmarish turns of events happening to the characters, and they're so well played by the principal actors, it's convincing throughout. Green hired the right people for this flick....

I'm impressed with Adam Green. I will mark him up there with Steven Mena, and Joe Lynch (incidentally the name of Shawn Ashmore's character in this flick) as young directors to watch. They are all capable of driving it right into your forehead, but none of them suffer from a lack of subtlety either.

"Frozen" is very good. Enjoy it if you can....