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Post by DSR on Mar 2, 2015 17:34:26 GMT -5
Nice! Looking forward to future installments in this F13 retrospective.
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Mar 3, 2015 9:43:07 GMT -5
This review probably would have been more effective a couple weeks ago, but nobody said I'm the master of timing. 1981 Directed by George Mihalka Starring Paul Kelman, Lori Hallier, Neil Affleck, Don Francks, Cynthia Dale and Patricia Hamilton Out of all the films that got released as part of the glorious early-'80s slasher craze, this one definitely qualifies as the most oddball. Not from a plot standpoint; it hits every single note and hits it well. It has more to do with the presentation. There's no teenagers, high school reunions or woodsy locations to be found. Instead, we've got a bunch of sweaty miners and other assorted hard-working manly men in the middle of a big mining town. Which is made even better by the fact that every single plot point that typically appears in these movies is well-apparent despite the character switch. Leave it to Canada. My Bloody Valentine starts with your classic "sex kills" slasher movie segment, as a pair of miners descend into a shaft. One of them removes her facemask, and yup, I said "her." She soon starts stripteasing the other miner, and he responds by shoving his pickaxe directly into her chest. Clearly, this guy doesn't know that you're supposed to shove some other pointy object in a hot chick's direction, but nobody's perfect. Wow. That might have been the single most crudely moronic joke I've made here on the blog. A new high (low) has been reached! Our group of characters from this point forward is introduced - the aforementioned collection of miners, along with their wives/girlfriends in the town of Valentine Bluffs. Classic. Also classic is the fact that we are in the preparation stages for a big Valentine's Day dance. It is here where we get our expository "past evil" segment of the flick, as the town mayor lets it out that this is the first such dance to be held in a long time. It seems that 20 years ago, some of the miners were buried in rubble due to the negligence of the supervisors who attended the dance. Also classic. NOT so classic is the twist that one of the miners caught in that rough situation survived via cannibalism. This guy's specter hangs over the rest of the movie, as everyone questions whether or not Harry Warden has come back for more vengeance (he offed the two supervisors responsible for his misery in the flashback sequences that establish this back story). All in all, it's pretty effective stuff. What's NOT so effective is the whole love triangle story that overtakes the movie from this point forward. Our protagonist of sorts is the extremely vanilla T.J. Hanniger (Kelman), the son of the mayor who has just returned to Valentine Bluffs. His ex-girlfriend Sarah (Hallier) still harbors feelings for him, which results in her current beau Axel (Affleck) having all sorts of mean-strosity issues. In between the murders, this is the story we're blessed with. While it could have been pretty effective with some better scripting and acting, it's unfortunately very tepid, leaving us wondering when the next round of slash-n-dash is coming. As for the murders themselves, they're a mixed bag. Yes, folks, you know the drill from this point on, as a slasher dressed all in miner gear starts killing everyone involved with the dance in inventive ways. The movie had some 9 minutes cut from its theatrical release in 1981 to avoid getting the MPAA's dreaded "X" rating, but fortunately the DVD that I have has everything restored. They might not be quite on the level of Tom Savini, but we have some pretty visceral stuff. The murderer's weapon of choice is (of course) a pickaxe, meaning that there is plenty of room available for some pretty nice graphic stuff. The nail gun fu is probably the highlight, a foreshadowing of the ***** classic Nail Gun Massacre that would find release several years later. Well, let's wrap this dog and pony show up. The killer is actually NOT Harry Warden, but is one of the principal lead characters in the traditional "wolf in sheep's clothing" role. In this regard, this flick is actually more like a giallo thriller than a slasher movie. I'll give the movie credit there. The mystery killer thing is underdone in slasher movies, and some of the ones that DO use this trope ( Friday the 13th Part V, anyone?) leave much to be desired when it comes to the surprise element. If you can't tell, I'm not an especially big fan of this movie. None of the characters stick out, including the eventual killer, while only a couple of the deaths are memorable in any regard. Thus, I can't recommend this movie. Finally, horror movie scholars out there are no doubt aware that there is a remake of this movie. Now THAT I can recommend, partially because it's much bloodier and sleazier than this flick, and partially because it starts Jensen Ackles, who I want to play a cool-ass spy character that exists only on my laptop whenever I become Quentin Tarantino-famous. Watch out for that Jack Dodds film franchise, kids. ** out of ****. It's got its moments. Unfortunately, they're just that.
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Post by DSR on Mar 3, 2015 11:49:33 GMT -5
Man, no love for Hollis, the portly dude with the silent film villain mustache, who somehow bagged the hottest chick in town?
*is sad now*
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Post by DSR on Mar 5, 2015 0:22:18 GMT -5
"I Was There, Too" is a podcast hosted by Matt Gourley (comedian, improviser, and lover of cinema), in which he conducts interviews with some of the unsung heroes of certain films (like the non-Sandra/Keanu passengers of the bus in SPEED). If you're a fan of THE EXORCIST, you might want to check the latest episode, as Mr. Gourley gets in touch with Eileen Dietz, who played Pazuzu/Captain Howdy/The Face of Death (you know the one). I just got done listening to it, I found the conversation pretty entertaining: iwastheretoo.wolfpop.com/audio/25084/the-exorcist-with-eileen-dietz
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Mar 8, 2015 10:50:17 GMT -5
Finally got round to watching Zombie Flesh Eaters aka Zombi 2 aka Zombie aka Island of the Living Dead. Yeah I know I said it was on my Halloween list recorded off the Horror channel but it just never made it in October. So instead at the start of March I sat down to watch it after a night out. I enjoyed it for what it was and the effects were good but I think I may have been over-saturated with Zombie movies so it didn't make too much of an impact on me. Highlights: The Wood Splinter Eyeball death. The film promo cover/box image zombies death The feast in the Docs house Auretta Gay scuba outfit. Abandoned Boat opening and fat zombie. Lowlights: Peter West (Ian McCulloch) role/acting character was kind of dull. The terrible score. Shark vs Zombie The final shot of zombies on the bridge despite traffic still going in and out of the city Still an enjoyable film to watch after a night out in March, I'd watch it again.
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Post by DSR on Mar 8, 2015 19:50:44 GMT -5
Aw man, I love the ZOMBIE score.
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Mar 9, 2015 9:29:32 GMT -5
Aw man, I love the ZOMBIE score. I think it might be due to the fact I watched Shogun Assassin prior which had such cool music that the Zombi 2 score couldn't compete.
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Mar 10, 2015 8:44:52 GMT -5
Time for Part 2 of my 2015 Friday the 13th retrospective. It's a very...uh, guy-friendly post this week. Welcome to Part 2 of the 2015 Friday the 13th compendium of knickknacks and...other stuff. Last time I did one of these, we looked at the various disposable victim characters of the series. Most definitely, the disposable victims are a big part of F13 lore. Now, we're moving on to another one of the big aspects that make this series so unequivocally awesome - the hot chicks. Slasher movies are made up of many different aspects, all of which are represented perfectly within Friday the 13th movies. The theme that a lot of them share is that they break some kind of taboo, something that you're not supposed to see when you're a little kid and you first heard about and/or saw these movies with a freaky dude in a hockey mask for the first time. First and foremost was the promise of blood. Somewhere in there is some curse words. And last but definitely not least is some good old-fashioned gratuitous nudity. For a Friday the 13th movie, gratuitous nudity is kind of a vital element. Not just because it's fun to look at, but because it served a very important purpose - letting you know that this series wasn't f**king around, and that anything was possible. Meat cleavers to the face, decapitations, red-hot pokers through the stomach...all of that, and more, can happen, because the chick got naked already anyway. Either that or I'm just trying to make myself sound way smarter than I really am for enjoying this aspect of the series so much. You be the judge. With that, let's get to it. LICK NESS MONSTER'S FIVE HOTTEST GIRLS IN THE FRIDAY THE 13TH SERIES 5. Marcie (Jeannine Taylor) from Part 1 Before I get started here...you know, kids, I was debating just how pervy to be when writing this article, and decided to scale it back. Somewhat. Anyway, I've always had a soft spot for Marcie. Partially because she's in the original, and partially because she's the original movie's resident Bad Girl. I'm a firm believer in this theory: just like women with Bad Boys, the Bad Girl is always hotter. She makes up one-half of the flick's beefcake couple along with Kevin Bacon and gets the privilege of being in the series' original sex scene, expose her cans, and parade around in the ensemble you see above as an added bonus. It was a moment of clarity for 13-year-old Lick Ness Monster. 4. Vicky (Lauren-Marie Taylor) from Part 2 It's likely that most fans prefer Kirsten Baker out of the amazing trilogy of Part 2 hotties, but for whatever reason I've always preferred Vicky. Again...I just think it's the characterization. Just look at that image above, devilish smirk and all. That entire sequence, as Vicky goes about preparing herself for sex with Mark, is simply golden. Secondly, I'm actually really surprised that Lauren-Marie Taylor herself never made it bigger as an actress. She ripples with charisma throughout her admittedly brief screen time here, and while she did some soap operas and other things, surely the macho-bravado action movies of the time could have used her for some good love interest roles. Make this happen, fanfic writers. 3. Samantha (Judie Aronson) from The Final Chapter TFC has an outstanding gamut of qualities. It covers the bases of the slasher flick better than any other movie in the series, and it definitely doesn't disappoint in the smokin' babes quotient. Of these, Judie Aronson is definitely the hottest and gets ample opportunity to show it off via a pair of skinny-dipping scenes. Of course, I should also mention that the character of Samantha herself is the movie's resident Bad Girl (noticing a trend yet?), beating out the likes of the wholly uninteresting twins who take over the movie's teen-centric subplots. Truly the best of every world, especially that Aronson herself would only get hotter in later movies and this was your chance to see her in the buff. 2. Robin (Elizabeth Kaitan) from The New Blood Another movie, another Bad Girl. This time we've got the special attraction of a redhead, always a plus in Lick Ness Monster Land. Robin and her gawky friend Maddy are both vying for the affections of the criminal-esque studly guy in the movie, and Robin's seductive confidence wins out. Not hard to see why, given just how ridiculously hot she is. Much like Lauren-Marie Taylor, I always felt that Elizabeth Kaitan herself was just one decent role away from hitting the big-time considering her charisma and obvious...other assets, if you know what I mean. If you're questioning whether or not I've spoken to an actual human female within six months by now, I won't hold it against you. 1. Tina (Debi-Sue Voorhees) from A New Beginning When I actually have difficulty finding a picture that adequately conveys someone's hotness, there's no question that it's your #1 pick. Without question, Tina is the hottest girl in the entire F13 pantheon. She's the movie's Bad Girl. She gets naked. Like, we're talking, well. And from the stories told in the excellent "Crystal Lake Memories" book, the scene was originally much more "Strong R" than what we got - which was plenty. Debi-Sue Voorhees circa 1985 was just simply stunning, from her angelic face to her perfect curves to her ridiculous cup size. As such, I can't fault director Danny Steinmann in the least bit for going full-on perv when it came to shooting that sex scene. No wrap-up text needed. Guys of the world, no horror fandom is required to get entry into Friday the 13th fandom. In addition to hilariously inept victim characters, if you're a fan of hot, minimally (and sometimes less) dressed women, look no further than these movies.
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Post by DSR on Mar 10, 2015 23:05:17 GMT -5
Funny enough (or creepy enough), this was the first article that came to mind when you mentioned you would be doing a series of write-ups about the franchise, LNM.
My list certainly would've included Debi-Sue Voorhees, and the mentioned-but-not-actually-on-the-list Kirsten Baker (something about the fact that she wore next to nothing, and then yelled at a guy for perving on her was hot in a confusing way), as well as Juliette Cummins as Robin in A NEW BEGINNING (I certainly have a thing for redheads, as well), Renny from JASON TAKES MANHATTAN (a holdover from when I saw the movie pre-puberty, and knew I wanted to hold hands with that girl SO MUCH...I still found her attractive post-puberty, but you get what I'm saying), and Kelly Rowland from FREDDY VS. JASON (I had a thing for her when she was in Destiny's Child).
I just realized that's one long-ass run-on sentence, with a bunch of parentheses in it. No, I'm not changing it.
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Mar 13, 2015 6:08:41 GMT -5
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Post by DSR on Mar 13, 2015 22:59:49 GMT -5
I've seen and/or own roughly half of those movies. I gotta check out that other half.
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Mar 17, 2015 9:06:55 GMT -5
Got some fantastic new films in the mail last week, which means that hopefully the reviews will be slightly less suck-ish since I'm not writing them from about 10-year memory. With that, let's get to it. 1986 Directed by William Fruet Starring Elaine Wilkes, Shery Willis-Burch, Joanna Johnson, Martin Hewitt and Paul Bartel Boring backstory information: I saw the final 10 minutes or so of this movie way, way, WAY back sometime in 1991 when I was waiting for WCW to come on. Lo and behold that I actually wanted to watch the end of the freakin' movie more than Jim Herd's post-Pizza Hut project of choice. In ten minutes of riveting television, I was treated to a rabid demon woman, a creepy twist ending that indicated that the surviving girl was most likely dead meat, and a pretty damn catchy end credits song in "These Are the Best Times of Our Lives." It's that damn SONG that's haunted me for damn near 25 years, and one "horror movie with 'these are the best times of our lives' song" Google search later I finally had the name of that TBS afternoon movie that scared the crap out of me all those years ago. It's called Killer Party, originally titled April Fool. Hence the title of that awesome White Sister song that plays over the movie's opening credits. I'm somewhat sorry to say that it doesn't live up to the sterling expectations I had for it, mainly due to an almost suicidal build period that does nothing for any of the characters involved and drags to an almost comical degree. It DOES pick up slightly in the final trimester, but only slightly. The flick starts off very promising, with the aforementioned White Sister song being the second part of what is a DOUBLE not happening-dream sequence beating the audience into submission. The rest of the build, unfortunately, is nowhere near as much fun. What we have here is a college acceptance movie, with our three principal leads being three would-be sorority pledges. There's smart, sassy Vivia (Wills-Burch), somewhat nondescript Jennifer (Johnson, who despite her vanilla character is probably the best actress of the three - particularly when she enters full Demon Mode), and sweet Phoebe (Wilkes). The three girls themselves are actually pretty likable, but the movie foolishly wastes them and makes most of the buildup about...other people. Most specifically the fraternity brothers who spend their time committing pranks on the sorority and then trying to get in their pants mere minutes later. Expert strategy, if you ask me. The night of the big pledge arrives, where we get one of those classic Movie Greek Ceremony scenes that are about nine steps over the top. Vivia commits a prank of her own during this sequence that actually saves the initiation for herself and her friends. This leaves our terrific trio (I know...groan) in charge of the April Fool's dance on campus, which just so happens to take place in a creepy abandoned frat house where some kid died 22 years prior. And it also just so happens that said kid was into occultism, and managed to potentially conjure up some kind of mystical demon. Watching the final third of the movie unfold, I really was struck by the very sad fact about that I've become an older, jaded horror fan. I was a notorious scaredy-cat as a kid. I'd watch the Friday the 13th movies fairly regularly, but fully admit that they caused me some near-sleepless nights in grade school. This stuff would have probably terrified me back then. Now, I've seen my fair share of tongue-in-cheek, goofy horror movies, and since this one wasn't throwing much in the way of over-the-top kill scenes or over-the-top nudity my direction, I found myself losing attention and desperately trying to think of other things to do. And this makes me very depressed. As for the story, what we've got with the "kill portion" of this movie is Jennifer being possessed by the demon that Fraternity Kid managed to conjure up in the house. None of the deaths are particularly creative, although we do get the use of an actual, honest-to-christ guillotine. I'm always a mark for guillotine scenes. The final chase is also pretty well done, particularly since it involves the three main characters and thus the three people in the movie that we actually give a flying f*** about. It all builds up to that ending that I remembered from 1991, one that probably would have still managed to effect me as a battle-hardened 31-year-old. But it wasn't enough to rag this movie's goofy build out of the doldrums. The movie went in and out of theaters quicker than a hiccup back in '86, and it's not hard to figure out why. The slasher movie craze was already on the wane by that point, and this not-very-sleazy entry in the genre probably wasn't going to entice many people to make the trek to the local movie house on Friday night. Even with the admittedly pretty good soundtrack that it has. Thus, while it has some good stuff acting wise from its three leads and a solid finale, this is a hard movie to recommend, nostalgia be damned. ** out of ****. I can't help but think the reason that TBS was showing this in 1991 was because the rights were likely dirt cheap, and for good reason. Worth checking out once; don't spend $13 on it like I did.
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Mar 24, 2015 8:31:26 GMT -5
Here's this week's blog review. Man, I can't believe that I wrote this review and didn't do the "Hearing Impaired Rob Lowe" DIRECTV commercial joke. It was right there. Consider that my unimaginative redemption. 1994 Directed by Mick Garris Starring Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Jamey Sheridan, Rob Lowe, Laura San Giacomo, Miguel Ferrer and Bill "Patrick" Fagerbakke I don't know if there is a single THING that defines my junior high years quite as much as The Stand. This flick was hyped up to me for months on end by a friend who watched it during its initial TV broadcast in 1994, playing it up to a legendary status that only Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter had in my mind. When ABC replayed it in the summer of '98, I was glued to the set and it didn't disappoint. It eventually whet my appetite to read the MASSIVE novel that it's based on, and as the single biggest, most epic of all King's old-school novels, it's right up there with the three or four best books I've ever read. Quite frankly, this is just an amazing story all around. There are times where I wish I'd experienced this story the other way around. As in, reading the book first. When I paged through the 1000+ pages of the book, all of the actors' faces were pasted in my mind already. There is something to be said for letting your mind's eye be the director of any book you read, and the fact that I was picturing Molly Ringwald as Frannie Goldsmith...man, it was a real buzzkill. Thus, if you're a Stand newbie, I'd highly recommend picking up a cheapo copy of the paperback uncut edition first. Trust me - it's money well spent. But even if you ARE a newbie, there's worse ways to get into this story and Stephen King in general than this here miniseries, so let's get started. Split into four nights and four respective sections, the film tells the long story of the end of the world. The real fun, however, occurs AFTER said massive apocalypse (which is refreshingly created using something OTHER than zombies). With that, let's take a closer look at the four individual parts. Part 1 - "The Plague" More or less, this is a recreation of "Book I" of the novel. The government has created a superflu virus that escapes its military base confines when a security guard bravely retreats. Before you know it, the flu is loose in the American public, spreading from person to person and killing everyone it comes into contact with. To be sure, there are LOTS of shots of people in hospital beds throughout this section of the movie, but fear not, kids, it's only an hour and a half. We're introduced to LOTS of characters as the plague wipes through humanity. Most prominent is Stu Redman (played by Gary Sinise in a pitch-perfect performance), good ol' boy from Texas who finds himself held captive in the center for disease control after showing a mysterious immunity to the illness. There's also the aforementioned Frannie Goldsmith (Ringwald in the only out-and-out casting misfire), somewhat dangerous and rebellious musician Larry Underwood (Adam Storke), deaf-mute Nick Andros (Rob Lowe) and criminal Lloyd Henreid (Miguel Ferrer), all of whom dealing with the plague in different ways. The closing bit is the highlight here, as Stu escapes his captors in a pretty damn nifty sequence. Part 2 - "The Dreams" Warning information for all: The Stand is very much a movie concerned with Christianity, so people uncomfortable with this, take heed. The movie is in essence a story of the final battle between good and evil, with all of the main characters immune to the superflu being "drafted" to one of the two distinct sides. How does this relate to "The Dreams?" Well, the characters are informed about which side their destiny lies via...you guessed it...dreams. There's saintly Mother Abigail (Ruby Dee, who is aces), a 106-year-old woman whose deep religious beliefs define her. And then there's Randall Flagg (Jamey Sheridan, who nails the book's character better than anybody could have in 1994), a kinda-sorta Antichrist/Demon who represents the bad. This section of the movie concerns every character's journey toward their destiny, with the section involving Nick and his new friend Tom Cullen (Bill Fagerbakke during his Daughber days) being the most captivating. We're also introduced to philosopher Glen Bateman (Ray Walston)...and the movie's true ace in the hole, Nadine Cross. Laura San Giacomo lends her acting talents and insane levels of hotness toward this character who becomes romantically involved with Larry, but the sinister nature of what lies beneath her character grows to become the shining star of the flick. Part 3 - "The Betrayal" By this point, the groups have become established in different locales. Stu, Glen, Nick and the rest of the good guys have taken up residence in Boulder, Colorado to establish the "Boulder Free Zone," while Flagg's minions are calling Las Vegas their base of operations. A good portion of Night Three involves the residents of the Free Zone attempting to form a democracy again, with Stu serving as a de facto Mayor before an entire committee of residents are elected to serve. The betrayal comes in the form of my favorite character in the novel - Harold Lauder, a gawky high school student who is in love with Frannie only to watch her walk away with Stu. Combined with being left off the committee, this dude is mighty pissed off and wants revenge, and gets that opportunity when Flagg sends his would-be bride Nadine to...uh...persuade him into doing his bidding. Corin Nemec did a decent enough job as Harold, although I do think that they could have found someone better for the role. Since so much of this part focuses on him, this is probably the least of the four chapters. Definitely not worth skipping or anything, but there's plenty of filler. Although none of that filler takes the form of Laura San Giacomo wearing sexy outfits. That stuff is amazing. Part 4 - "The Stand" It's time for the final battle, and that final battle comes in the form of Mother Abigail's dying wish - that four of the main characters (Stu, Glen, Larry and Oklahoma yokel Ralph Brentman) head out for Las Vegas on foot. Why? Don't question God, dummy. Director Mick Garris (who earlier helmed the Stephen King theatrical film Sleepwalkers, and would go on to direct the miniseries version of The Shining) does a great job maintaining tension throughout this segment, as parts of it are nothing short of gutwrenching. In between the four main characters walking journey, we get the true creepification of Flagg. He shows his pissed off side on a few occasions as his empire begins melting away from him, showing his true form in bits that are a little chuckle-worthy in these days of crisp, clean CGI. Fortunately for all, the final half-hour is nothing short of electric and cathartic, just as much as the book's ending was, and I've got nothing but the highest praise for this section of the flick. Very well done, and everything that I expected out of it then and now. If it isn't apparent, I'm a big fan of this movie. Every so often, the subject of a theatrical film comes up (or God forbid a series of masturbatory films, of which I'm sure the final part would be split up into two films to bleed moviegoers for the most money possible), and I can't understand why. This nails the essence of the book better than just about anything else could have, cutting out some characters entirely, combining others, and streamlining the whole sprawling epic into something that the public could take in, interpret, and even become outright engrossed in. For a six-hour movie, there is amazingly almost nothing that drags here with the exception of some of Part 3 (Boulder Free Zone meeting, I'm looking at you). What we've got in between is an almost perfectly cast, occasionally suspenseful, and very powerful scary flick that manages to make its subject matter...well, matter. *** 1/2 out of ****. Six hours of time that fly by, and highly recommended for any horror, fantasy, and Stephen King fans out there.
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Welfare Willis
Crow T. Robot
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Post by Welfare Willis on Mar 24, 2015 12:38:26 GMT -5
So my copy of the blu ray of the Beyond should arrive today. I have to wait until Thursday before I get a good chance to check it out.
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Post by Kash Flagg on Mar 27, 2015 20:56:44 GMT -5
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Post by DSR on Mar 27, 2015 21:34:21 GMT -5
My Top 6 would include Creepshow, Hellraiser 1 and 2, The Beyond, Ice Cream Man, and Friday the 13th Part 2. Probably. I'm sure I'll remember something else I love a few minutes from now.
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Welfare Willis
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Game Center CX Kacho on!
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Post by Welfare Willis on Mar 27, 2015 21:37:14 GMT -5
A small follow up: I watched The Beyond on blu-ray. Grindhouse did an amazing job on the blu ray. Plus it comes with a soundtrack cd!
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Post by greenlantern2814 on Mar 30, 2015 22:49:06 GMT -5
Hey guys, it's been awhile. Hope everyone is doing good. Well, I got a chance to go watch It Follows. Here We Go It Follows (2014) The less I say about the actual movie is better, you want to go into this as fresh as possible. Something is following kids and killing them. Boom. I went into a packed theater on a Saturday Night and was pumped because I felt like I was apart of a new franchise or face of horror but only time will tell if any of that is true. What I can tell you is that crowd was very anxious and became hostile towards the climax of the movie. I found myself becoming a bit agitated because nothing was really happening. By the mid way point I had lost any hope that this would be any good and by the end I just wanted to leave the theater. It was only after reflecting on the movie with my friend did I realize how great it actually was. I began to remember scenes (spoilers ahead) {Spoiler}{Spoiler} Where IT was following them, some are up front in the scene and are pretty creepy and others were a bit more restrained with IT in the background of shots and the movie doesn't even point it out to us. Several shots linger and we see IT in the background just following. I can't tell how terrified I was when I realize I didn't even see IT in scenes were it was and I saw IT when it wasn't there. The film builds a paranoid dream like atmosphere that totally messes with your head. The fact that only the marked people can see it makes the others around them think they are crazy and just makes the viewer feel completely hopeless that this thing is going to get you, it's just a matter of time. Upon reflection, the opening scene may be one of the best ever in a horror film. But it only becomes terrifying after you know the rules.Where IT was following them, some are up front in the scene and are pretty creepy and others were a bit more restrained with IT in the background of shots and the movie doesn't even point it out to us. Several shots linger and we see IT in the background just following. I can't tell how terrified I was when I realize I didn't even see IT in scenes were it was and I saw IT when it wasn't there. The film builds a paranoid dream like atmosphere that totally messes with your head. The fact that only the marked people can see it makes the others around them think they are crazy and just makes the viewer feel completely hopeless that this thing is going to get you, it's just a matter of time. Upon reflection, the opening scene may be one of the best ever in a horror film. But it only becomes terrifying after you know the rules.
The soundtrack screams 80s horror and Carpenter in particular and the characters and surroundings kind of defy time, we see cell phones and e readers and newer cars but we also get black and white tv sets with bunny ears and older looking cars. The whole thing plays with your head, you can't really latch onto anything because nothing makes sense, in a good way. I rarely watch horror films in theaters nowadays so this might not be saying much but this is the best horror film I have ever seen in a theater. hands down.
5/5
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Mar 31, 2015 11:31:10 GMT -5
Here's this week's new blog review, with 100% more motorcycle hood chopping action. 1981 Directed by Ken Hughes Starring Leonard Mann, Rachel Ward and Drew Snyder Unlike a lot of the movies that I review here on the blog, there's no big sentimental back story when it comes to the movie in question today. Mainly because I just saw it for the first time four days ago. Seeking out the movie with that awesome "these are the best times, of our lives, these are the best times" flick from my youth (for the uninitiated, it was Killer Party) also yielded this particular cinematic masterwork from the golden age of slasher flicks. Lo and behold, it wasn't released on DVD until 2011. After watching it, I can kind of understand why. As directed by Ken Hughes, Night School definitely has that trademark early '80s slasher movie atmosphere going for it. It's dark, it's drab and it's dreary, and that all works to the movie's advantage. Unfortunately, there are also a few things that work against it, which we'll be getting to in due time. Enough chit-chat, let's get to the show. The movie combines the tried-and-true slasher tropes with just a bit of giallo thriller, as we've got a "mystery killer" flick on our hands here. It starts with a young teacher's assistant getting murdered (on a piece of playground equipment, no less) by a figure in full motorcycle regalia. The head is dumped in a nearby can full of water, and that's our giallo-style clue that will continue to haunt us for the remainder of the running time. Within short order, we're introduced to our core group of characters. Chief among them is detective Judd Astin (Mann), smart guy from Harvard who truthfully has a little bit of an air of superiority about him that comes off as dislikable. Or maybe that's just the performance. Leonard Mann toiled about in nothing roles for the vast majority of his career, and I've got to say that it's poetic justice, because the guy is simply not very good. He's supposed to come off as heroic and inquisitive here, but instead just screams "douchebag" from the jump. When another victim crops up, he sets his sights on anthropology professor Vincent Millet (Snyder) and his live-in assistant/girlfriend Eleanor (Ward). Of the three principal leads, Rachel Ward easily has the most charisma and personality, and it's no wonder that director Hughes quickly focuses a lot of the attention on her character. For a slasher film released in 1981, we don't get much in the way of creative deaths. That said, the movie does do a pretty decent job during its death sequences creating a sense of dread. Complete with some of the most dreadful synthy music that I've heard in any horror movie, there actually are a couple scenes in this movie that made me wince - especially the long, drawn-out stuff after Ward is chased into her home by the movie's resident peeping tom. The less said about that guy, the better. All of the deaths revolve around the college coeds romantically linked to professor Miller, as the dude is a ladies' man of sorts who isn't satisfied by having the insanely hot and loyal Eleanor around. In a way, this plot device leads us to one of the most unsatisfying mysteries out of any horror film I've seen. Roughly halfway through, it becomes painfully obvious who the red herrings are and who the killer will inevitably be, and it removes every ounce of suspense that the movie had going for it in the early goings with the synth score, the cool "curved" knife that the killer employs and the bits where the heads of the victims inevitably turn up in water. Combine that with the fact that detective Astin manages to get more douchy and unlikable as the story uncoils, I found myself wishing for the movie to be over on more than a few occasions. That's really a shame. Night School really starts out strong, with a great murder sequence, a great Boston setting and an interesting concept for its killer that felt like a slightly cooler version of the Prowler from...um... The Prowler. Whenever Ward gets a chance to speak, she does her absolute damndest to salvage the material, but she can't bring it up from the mediocrity that it was destined to become. But then again, what do I know, as this movie has actually amassed a pretty decent cult following since 1981. In which case, go for yours, brothers. Oh, and don't even get me started on Astin's police partner. He kinda looks like John Kapelos, and he'll kinda make you ant to throw a brick through your TV. You've been warned. ** out of ****. It's worth checking out for history's sake if you're a slasher movie diehard, but it's worth avoiding for anyone else.
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Post by DSR on Apr 3, 2015 11:59:46 GMT -5
With the recent news that Kiss's resident demon Gene Simmons has partnered with WWE Studios to make "elevated" horror films, Rolling Stone decided to have a word with the man to find out what the hell he meant by that, and runs down his five favorite elevated horrors: www.rollingstone.com/music/features/kiss-singer-gene-simmons-5-favorite-elevated-horror-movies-20150402Gene sounds kinda silly here, and I'm not sure the plot to TEMPLE appeals to me, but I do like focusing on characterization. And I love classic horrors like the ones Gene mentioned, so I might give Erebus Pictures a shot. I dunno.
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