Quick Look: Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

A prequel to a prequel, Paranormal Activity 3 begins with Katie bringing a box of VHS tapes over to her sister, Kristi's house to store. On the next camera shot, the basement is ransacked and the tapes are missing. Then we see what is on the tapes. The tapes were made in 1988 when Kristi and Katie were children. Their mother's live-in boyfriend is a videographer who, like in the previous two movies, sets up video cameras around the house to investigate a series of strange occurrences, and his cameras pick up more than he bargained for.

*Spoiler Alert* There really isn't much in this film that hasn't been seen in either of the other two films. There's creepy/possesed sleepwalking, loud noises through the surround system, a girl getting pulled off camera, and the male lead becoming obsessed over the process while his girlfriend becomes exceedingly agitated. There were a couple of cool effects such as the sheet that appears behind the babysitter in the form of a classic ghost them collapsing, but other than that, nothing really new. What is new is the story of the film which tries to explain the origins of the demon that has been stalking the family since 1988. Throughout the film, Kristi speaks to an "imaginary" friend named Toby who we are led to believe is the beast. The family flees to grandma's house where the origin comes to a head. I know I warned of spoilers, but I'm not giving this one away. Sorry. You know what you're going to get with this movie, but I would still recommend catching it in the theaters if you enjoy pov horror flicks. Just like the first two installments, the film does a good job using the surround sound system to create atmosphere. And, if you haven't seen the first two movies, no problem, it does just fine as a stand alone. If you have seen the other two movies, don't expect anything new.

Happy Birthday: Winona Ryder & Richard Dreyfuss

Winona - my favorite moive of hers is Heathers

Richard - my favorite of his is Jaws

Happy Birthday: John Cleese

Of Monty Python fame...

Bob's Full Review: The Evil Dead (1981)

Principal Cast: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor (as Hal Delrich), Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly (as Sarah York)
Director: Sam Raimi
Genre: Horror

The Basics:  Five friends rent a cabin in the woods for a weekend of partying.  While exploring the house they find an old tape recorder and an array of ancient artifacts, including a book bound in human skin.  Listening to the tape made by the cabins previous owner, they learn that the items came from an excavation site of the ruins of an ancient city, and the book, titled “Book of the Dead,” was a record of the forest demons, the people of the city.  The recording of the cabin’s owner includes him reading a passage of the book, which turns out to be the resurrection spell that wakes the sleeping demons.  
Ash’s (Campbell) four friends are attacked by the evil spirits who use the forest to beat/rape them and posses their flesh, turning them into demonic zombie-like creatures.  
Can Ashe survive til morning?

Recommendation: Fans of indie horror and cult cinema will get into this one.  This film was not rated by the MPAA until 1994 where it got an NC17 for intense violence, blood, and gore (the DVD box lists the film as unrated.)

My Take:  This film is another good example of what can be done with a small budget and some imagination.  The estimated cost was $350,000 and what was produced was one of the true classics of horror cinema. 
This is also a good example of “claustrophobic” horror in which the people being hunted are confined to a small space and cannot escape (see James’ review of Alien.)  The cabin in the woods setting has been a staple of horror films since “Night of the Living Dead,” where they couldn’t leave because the cabin was surrounded by zombies.  The claustrophobia in this film comes from the fact that when characters try to leave the woods, they are attacked by the trees which forces them to stay in the cabin, which I found to be an effective plot device as well as a good scare factor.  
This film also shows that Raimi is not afraid to be brutal to his characters.  One girl is literally raped by the demon possessed forest and another’s face is set on fire while she is inhabited by evil spirits.  While gruesome, scenes such as these show a creative mind at work.  There are plenty of haunted cabin movies out there where the victims are merely stabbed to death and/or chopped apart by some idiotic “manic.” 
I also like the demonic take on what is essentially a zombie movie.  Even though the “Book of the Dead” goes by a different name in this film, it is based on “The Necronomicon,” which is a fictitious book invented by H.P. Lovecraft and mentioned in a number of his works published in the 1920s.  And as a matter of fact, the book was renamed Necronomicon for Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness.   Raimi does a good job weaving the elements of the occult, demonic possession and zombie horror to create a terrifying movie experience.  
Very little is actually known about the five characters.  The group is two guys, their girlfriends, and Ash’s sister.  But other than that, nothing is known about them or their lives before they go to the cabin.  In one sense, I might have wanted know a little about who I am watching die, and creating back story for a character could have led to some more horrifying means by which the demons could attack them.  On the other hand, leaving out back story helped Raimi “get on with the terror” without having to slow down the movie with what might feel like superfluous conversation.  So I’ll bow to the professional on this one.  
The make up effects in this movie were amazing given the tight budget.  Even in 1978, when the film was shot, $375,000 was not a lot to work with.  In later interviews, the actors would say that Evil Dead was a very hard movie to shoot partially because of their creature makeup, particularly the solid white contact lenses that made them blind and had to be removed after 15 minutes due to the severe discomfort.  It was also bitterly cold during principal photography and the ladies shot several outside scene in thin fabric night clothes.  
Even though Ash is the lone survivor of this movie, I would hesitate to call him the main character of the film.  Again, without back story, it is hard to establish any character as central.  I say Ash survives despite being nailed by the demon wind at the very end because of Evil Dead 2, where Ash is very clearly the hero of the picture, but I’ll save that for later.
All in all, this is a very good horror film.  Even if one does not like horror films, one must acknowledge this movie as an American classic that should be studied.

Statistics:

Cast Performance:  Good.  All five actors do a great job performing their roles without hamming it up, which occasionally happens with horror films. 

Violence/Gore: Intense.  Lots of blood and bodily harm.  Definitely not for the squeamish.

Nudity: A little.  One scene where the demon wind is peeping a girl getting undressed, and the forest rape scene are the two instances.  These add up to about 4 seconds of breast shot.  The story did not call for anything more than that.

Ambiance/Music: Effective.  We get the typical horror film score, but pair that with the creepy atmosphere, the end result racks the nerves.  The film was shot in an actual abandoned cabin in the woods, which made the atmosphere all the more chilling.  

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 on the Bob Kline Scale. 

Interesting notes: Richard DeManincor and Theresa Tilly went by different stage names for this film because they were members of the screen actors guild and would have been penalized for working on a non-union production. 
Also, the cabin where the film was shot has since burned down and the only remaining structure is the fireplace.  No one will give complete directions to its location due to the fact that fans of the film kept stealing its bricks.  

Interesting new Christian Bale film, check it out

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/trailers/the-flowers-of-war-trailer-rhunt.php

Quick Look: Bad Lieutenant (1992)

A nice indie film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Harvey Keitel as the title character.  In fact, we never learn his name, he is called either 'LT' or Lieutenant throughout the film.
The story takes place in New York City, with Keitel spending most of time engaging in some type of deplorable act; taking drugs, being drunk, having sex with hookers, gambling and stealing drugs, then turning around and doing business with drug dealers.  We are not supposed to feel sympathy for him, yet there is still a humanness in the portrayal that you almost feel sorry for.  Ferrara seemed to take the idea that sometimes the only thing separating a cop from the criminal, is a badge.
The deeper the gambling hole gets, and the more intoxicated Keitel seems, the more you realize what the outcome of this movie will be.  The Lieutenant also gets involved in a rape case involving a nun being attacked, and she later tells Keitel, she forgives her assailants.  He does not understand this, implying at one point he would go so far as to kill them for her - yet in the end all becomes clear.

 

Happy Birthday: Christopher Lloyd & Jeff Goldblum

Chris Lloyd - will forever be the crazy Dr. Brown from Back to the Future

Jeff Goldblum - while not one my favorite actors, he was very well cast for Jurassic Park

Full Review: Halloween II (1981)

People in the Movie:  Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis,

Director:  Rick Rosenthal

Pigeonhole:  Horror / Slasher

The Basics:  Beginning literally the moment Halloween ended, Halloween II picks right up.  Laurie Strode (Curtis) having survived Michael Myers’ attack is being taken to the hospital due to the injuries she suffered (a cut arm and fractured ankle from a fall, seen in the prior film).  Michael is still on the loose, with Dr. Loomis (Pleasence) in pursuit.  The rest of the town is in shock of the violence they are now learning took place this same evening.  We learn there is a “personal factor” as to why Michael is targeting Laurie.  The majority of the movie is spent with Michael killing his way through the hospital attempting to reach her.     

Recommendation: If you are planning on watching any more of the Halloween series, you should see this.  Semi-entertaining sequel and splatter film.  As a standalone (meaning if you had not seen the original) it could survive, but early on you would wonder how the characters got to where they are now, and why.  “R” rating is for violence, language and nudity. 

My Take: Halloween II is a very 80’s slasher cliché type of film.  Rick Rosenthal did a decent job to capture the ambiance of the original Halloween, but as far as real scares go, I was left wanting.  There was no real feeling of dread or suspense, but more like a predicable falling of dominos.  Where in Halloween the killing was almost secondary to the story, in number two the killings are what drive the movie.  There was significantly more blood splatter the second time around, and like many horror/slasher films of the time, you want to almost “predict” out loud who will be next to die. 

**spoiler alert** The only new plot information, that was even semi-interesting in number two, is that we learn Laurie Strode is Michael Myers’ sister.  She was a baby when Michael killed his older sister Judith, and soon after, the Myers’ parents are killed in a car accident, so the Strodes adopted Laurie and never told her about Michael to protect her.  However, during a flashback, Laurie does seem to remember seeing/visiting Michael at Smith’s Grove sanitarium when they were children.   This reveal was extremely weak, in my opinion, and did nothing as far as making Michael’s stalking and killing somehow more palatable.  Laurie is Michael’s sister.  Michael killed his older sister so now he has to kill his younger sister?  What a cop-out.

There was a small reference to Samhain, the Gaelic festival, in the film as Dr. Loomis is tracking Michael’s movements after he was shot in the prior movie.  Michael had written it on a blackboard in the school.  Samhain was not really addressed, but was more a foreshadowing to how the movie ends; with Michael and Dr. Loomis seen burning to death in an operating room that was leaking highly flammable oxygen and ether from some gas tanks.  Dr. Loomis believed this was the only way to stop Michael, so he ignited the gas himself.

Leading up to the ending we witnessed Michael making his way through town to the hospital, killing staff and other people, while Loomis and a deputy (the sheriff was too distraught after finding his daughter Annie dead) search for clues.  Loomis gets temporarily sidetracked as he is called back Smith’s Grove by the governor, when he conveniently learns that Laurie is Michael’s sister (he did not know this until now).  He promptly heads for the hospital for the final stand off.

Laurie’s part in the film, compared to the original, is overly simplistic.  She meets a paramedic who appears to like her; his name is Jimmy.   She spends a little amount of time in the hospital in a daze, due to a reaction to some meds (where she has the aforementioned vision about Michael), and spends the rest of the time fleeing from Michael through the hospital.  Laurie never really appeared scared, but more like it was “here we go again”.   As I noted – predictable and cliché.

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  According to John Carpenter and Debra Hill the creators of the original film, the Michael Myers/Laurie Strode storyline was ended to have ended at this film.  Hollywood, of course, would not allow that to happen… The Gaelic/Celtic factor is brought back up in #6 The Curse of Michael Myers…

Full Review: The Lost Boys (1987)

People in the Movie:  Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz

Director:  Joel Schumacher

Pigeonhole:  horror / teen/ vampire / comedy

The Basics:  Two brothers Michael (Patric) and Sam (Haim) move to Santa Clara, CA, and soon discover an interesting secret; the local teen-bikers are vampires.  Michael becomes interested in girl a named Star (Gertz), whom he sees on the boardwalk one night.  She hangs out with the bikers, and so Michael gets entangled with them, soon becoming a “half-vampire”.  It’s up to Sam and his new friends Edgar (Feldman) and Alan Frog, who happen to be vampire “hunters”, to rescue Michael before his blood lust leads him to his first kill, as well as dispensing with the murderous vampire gang.   

Recommendation:  Falls into the “sexy vampire” genre and will likely have appeal to that audience.  Fans of the “2 Corey’s” movies will obviously like this, as well.  I like it for both reasons.  “R” rating is for violence.

My Take: A nice, fun flick that has some intense moments, but still mixed with enough comic relief to not take itself too seriously.  The Lost Boys also has a very good soundtrack that works very well within the movie, and is worth checking out for just the music itself.  There is nothing new in the way of vampire lore, or the “formula” of the movie, but the characters, all relatively new at that time, keep it entertaining and the story moves at a fast enough pace not to get bogged down.  I was also impressed with the vampire make-up, simple but scary looking. 

**spoiler alert** Using the term “bikers” above, I feel should be clarified; these are not black leather jacket wearing guys on Harleys, these are the rebellious 80’s teen-types (although Sutherland and Patric were both 21 at the time of filming) who ride dirt-bike motorcycles and look more like fans of Def Leppard and Bon Jovi. 

We learn early the center of activity for teens in Santa Clara is the boardwalk, which is also where it appears the vampire gang stalks their victims.  In the opening scene of the movie we witness David (Sutherland) and his 3 cohorts selecting who will be future prey for them.  The boardwalk is also where Michael first sees Star, and soon meets David and company, as well as Sam meeting Edgar and Alan Frog at a comic book shop where they work.

Michael, caving into peer pressure and wanting to be with Star, is initiated into the gang by being tricked into drinking David’s blood from an old wine bottle.  He is now a half-vampire, but will not become a full vampire until after his first kill (and feeding).  We also learn that Star and Laddie (a unisex looking kid who tags along with Star) are both half vampires.  Sam, meanwhile, meets the somewhat strange Frog brothers at the comic shop, where they want Sam to read some horror comics they claim are “survival guides”.  They are self-proclaimed vampire hunters, but we learn they have no experience actually confronting live vampires.  Sam is skeptical at first, but Michael begins to exhibit vampire-like characteristics including being translucent in a mirror, and then losing control of his ability to fly in a particularly laugh-filled scene, so Sam decides to join in the proverbial “fight” to help his brother.  I also must add that Sam and Michael’s grandpa has a very funny supporting role.

A few plot holes and criticism’s I do feel are worth mentioning:

- Santa Clara is introduced as the “murder capital of the world” in the beginning of the film, yet the vampires appear to dispose of their victim’s bodies, also evidenced by the missing persons signs and posters seen everywhere.  So the murders are not at the hands of the vampires, then?

- Laddie’s character had no point whatsoever, and why would this group of guys want a little kid vampire tagging along?  Star with their groups makes sense, but not Laddie.

- Star tells Michael that he was supposed to be her first kill the afternoon they have sex.  Does this make any sense?  Why would David want Star to kill another vampire?  Would Michael even die?  Or would his body heal itself?

- Exactly how long have Star and Laddie been half-vampires?  The movie would have us believe that Michael, after a few days, is losing control of himself, so how is it that Star and Laddie are running around just fine.

- Max, the head vampire had allegedly been in Santa Clara a long time, why were only 4 vampires, and 2 half vampires to his charge?

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  Santa Clara, CA is a fictional town, but based on Santa Cruz, where the movie was filmed… Feldman and Sutherland starred together previously in the movie Stand By Me… Edgar and Alan Frog are named for Edgar Allen Poe…

Classic movie quote: Dracula (1931)

(Wolves howling in the background) "Listen to them.  Children of the night.  What music they make."

Voted as the #83 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).

Happy Birthday: Jean-Claude Van Damme

Happy Birthday: Mike Judge & Michael McKean

Mike Judge- creator of Beavis and Butthead, and Office Space like 2 movies I still quote today

Michael Mckean of Spinal Tap, hello Cleveland

Full Review: Nightmare on Elm St. 4: The Dream Master (1988)

People in the Movie:  Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox

Director:  Renny Harlin

Pigeonhole:  Horror / Teen Slasher / Comedy

The Basics:  Freddy Krueger is quickly resurrected after his “burial” in the prior film, and begins terrorizing a new group of teenagers.  Alice Johnson (Wilcox), the new protagonist, must find a way to defeat the “Dream Master”.

Recommendation:  If you are fan of the Nightmare on Elm Street series, you should see it.  Otherwise, it’s pretty much a waste of time.  As a standalone (meaning you have never seen any of the previous films) you would likely be completely lost throughout.  “R” rating is for violence, nudity, and language – and possibly poor story writing.

My Take: **spoiler alert** Kristen (now being played by Tuesday Knight), Joey and Kincaid from ‘Dream Warriors’ are quickly dispatched early in this film.  I thought this was a bit of a cop-out considering the effort put into creating, developing, and having these kids who fought and survived the prior movie, get taken out so quickly.  In a slightly bigger “movie leap”, Kristen transmits her ability bring people into her dreams to Alice right before Kristen dies at Freddy’s hand, and hence why Alice becomes the new lynchpin.

The movie unfolds with the now-typical formula; Freddy needs souls to given him his power, and he has to replace the souls he lost with his defeat in Nightmare 3.  The bodies pile up, Freddy cracks a handful of one-liners as he is killing each new teen victim, and then there is the proverbial final standoff.  The reveal, this time, is that Freddy is the Dream Master, the gate keeper of bad dreams, while Alice is the gate keeper of good dreams.  Alice shows Freddy his own reflection, “evil revealing itself, to itself” (huh?) and he is beaten again.  Until next year.

This film, much like Freddy’s Revenge, felt like a producer/studio trying to make a quick buck on the Nightmare name, without giving any thought to story, casting, or direction.  It’s to the point that Freddy’s attacks seem cliché, and what is even worse they try to rescue them with one-liners and comedy.  Freddy’s glove swimming around to the Jaws theme, then putting on sunglasses at the beach to kill Kristen, come on, seriously?      

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  This is the highest grossing film of the Nightmare series, which is rather sad considering the on-screen product… Patricia Arquette did not want to reprise her role as Kristen Parker, as she was pregnant at the time of filming… Wes Craven wanted to write a screenplay that somehow would involve time travel in dreams, but that got canned, so other than character credit he had little else to do with this movie…   

Full Review: Nightmare on Elm St 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

People in the Movie: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Patricia Arquette

Director:  Chuck Russell

Pigeonhole:  horror/ teen slasher

The Basics:  Six years after the first film, Nancy Thompson (Langenkamp) returns to help the “last of the Elm Street children”, the kids of the parents who burned Freddy to death, as they are all in a psychiatric institution for various reasons related to sleep disorders.  Freddy Krueger (Englund) is back (did he ever leave?), killing teenagers in their dreams, and we learn a little more about his personal history, as well.  The bodies pile up, and once again the potential victims fight to stay awake and defeat Freddy before he collects their souls.

Recommendation:  This Nightmare installment gets decent marks for story, casting, special effects, and direction.  A must see for the Nightmare series fan, and horror fans alike.  As a standalone (meaning if you watched this without having seen the prior movies) it can work, nothing takes place that is not otherwise explained.  “R” rating is for violence, language and nudity.

My Take: This installment feels like the true sequel to #1; the story gets back to Freddy being a stalker in kids’ dreams, and Nancy returns to aid a group of teens all in a mental institution stemming from Freddy’s coming after them while they sleep.  This is the film we learn Freddy was the “bastard son of a 100 mad men”, as well.  His mother was a nun who accidentally got locked in a wing of the mental institution for the criminally insane, who was subsequently raped by many of the inmates, and became pregnant.  The ending is decent, and had the series ended here (ha-ha, like that would have happened) it would have felt complete.

 **spoiler alert**  The story opens to a girl named Kristen Parker (Arquette) who we see is crafting a model of Nancy’s old house on Elm Street.  She seems to be fighting to stay awake, but succumbs and enters a bad dream where she approaches the now abandoned Thompson house and encounters a little girl who she enters the house with.  Kristen appears to wake up and she wanders into her bathroom where Freddy now attacks her and cuts her wrist.  Her mother enters the bathroom where the audience sees Kristen holding a razor blade and her wrist is bleeding.  Kristen is sent to Westin Hills for the suicide attempt where she the meets a group of teen patients, who also happen to be slasher movie sterotypes: Joey (a teen who does not speak), Taryn (an ex-drug addict), Kincaid (a street thug type), Jennifer (a wannabe actress who self mutilates), Will (geeky type in a wheelchair) and Phillip (a sculptor/artist who sleep walks).  They are all currently under the care of Dr. Neil Gordon (Craig Wasson) and soon enters Nancy Thompson, the new hire.  Nancy, of course, quickly realizes the teens all have sleep disorders because they are the last of the previously noted “Elm St. children”, and Freddy is stalking them. 

A nice twist in this film, one that I am sure helped to overcome some writing obstacles, is that Kristen is able to pull other sleeping people into her dreams.  It is decided that they (the Elm Street kids) will use this strength to unite against Freddy – hence the title Dream Warriors (although no one ever actually refers to them as such).  This turns out to be futile as Freddy is never hurt in the dream world.  Freddy quickly begins killing the teens one at a time, usually utilizing one victim’s talents or character flaws against them and sometimes delivers a one-liner in the process.  For example, in one particularly disturbing scene, Taryn is cornered in an alley by Freddy where his fingers are now large syringes, and Taryn's track marks now turn into little mouths, she panics, and Freddy OD's her.  The best scene, in my opinion, was where Phillip appeared to be sleepwalking, but the audience sees Freddy using Phillip's veins to pull him like a marionette, before he eventually "jumps" off a building.  This was very much like the scary, intense scenes we loved from the first film.

Freddy is eventually “taken down” this time with the help of a nun who informs Neil of Freddy’s gruesome origin.  Neil is also told by the nun that Freddy’s spirit is restless because he was not buried on hallowed grounds.  So this little subplot leads Neil to Nancy’s father, the police Lt., who continues to remain skeptical about Kruger’s involvement, despite the outcome of the first film.  Lt. Thompson took Freddy’s bones and placed them in a truck of car in a junk yard.  Nancy’s father is subsequently killed while he and Neil are burying Freddy’s skeleton using holy water and a cross (which we see Freddy’s essence come apart and disappear).  The nun who aided Neil is later revealed to have been Freddy’s mother’s ghost, Amanda Krueger, aka Sister Mary Helena.   

Overall, the special effects are much more elaborate, and it works to give the audience more of a scary nightmare-like feel to it.  I like that we see Craven’s “handprints” on this film, although his full screenplay was not used.  I did not feel Nancy needed to die, the way it unfolded did not feel right to me with how the Nightmare series has played out, especially considering her role in the first film.

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  The hard rock band Dokken recorded the song “Dream Warriors” specifically for this movie.  This is one of the first times that a rock band recorded a song specifically for a movie, in this fashion … Laurence Fishburne has a minor role in this film as an orderly…

Happy Birthday: Tim Robbins

My favorite of his is Bull Durham with Shawshank Redemption being a close second

Awesome quotes: PCU (1994)

"Bye, thanks for the party... oppressors!"

Gonna be a "no" on the new Footloose for me

I will not be watching the new Footloose any time in the near future.  Some remake line should not be crossed.
If you see the new one, let me know how it worked.

Bob's Full Review: Halloween (2007)

Principal Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Scout Taylor-Compton, Tyler Mane, Daeg Faerch, Sheri Moon-Zombie
Director: Rob Zombie
Genre: Horror, Slasher

The Basics: Rob Zombie screen wrote and directed this remake of John Carpenter’s classic horror film.
It all starts on Halloween when 10 year old Michael Myers, driven insane by a combination of inner demons and a horrible home life, murders a school bully, then brutally slays his abusive stepfather, his promiscuous sister Judith, and her goofball boyfriend, leaving only his mother and baby sister alive.
After a year long trial he is sent to Smith’s Grove sanitarium under the care of Dr. Samuel Loomis.  For the next year he withdraws deeper and deeper into himself until there is nothing left but the evil that drove him to murder. 
15 years later, Myers escapes the hospital and makes his way back to his home town to find his now 17 year old sister, killing everyone who gets in his way. 

Recommendation: Fans of slasher and psychological horror will like this one.  If you haven’t seen either of them, watch the original first.  This version is also much bloodier than the original (Carpenter didn’t use stage blood in his version, Zombie used a lot.)

My Take: I’ve had to adjust my view on movie remakes in the last few years.  For one thing, film remakes are as old as Hollywood.  People must remember that many of the greatest films of all time such as Ben Hur, The Wizard of Oz, and Dracula were all later versions of source material, i.e. remakes. 
But still, I cringed a little when I heard this movie was going to be made, until I learned that Rob Zombie was the one making the movie.  I am a fan of his work, for both his music and his films, and he does a good job of balancing his own unique spin on the story while still keeping some of the elements that made the original a classic.
From the beginning, we see that Myers is a killer at heart after he butchers his pet rat.  We also get a sense of what makes him “the way he is”, as we see his home environment with an abusive stepfather, and mostly-absent mother, in addition to the constant bullying he receives at school.  And even though he is showing the signs of mental disturbance (like with a dead cat in his backpack), the audience now sees Myers pushed over the proverbial edge.  The psychology of the character is elaborated through the case notes read by Dr Loomis, and during the scenes in the sanitarium, we witness over several sequences the “humanity” of the character die as Myers becomes more and more stoic and hides his face behind paper mache masks he has been creating.  By the time we get to him as an adult, he is more the Michael Myers that horror fans know, but with much more depth of character. 
Rather than casting a stunt man, Zombie further develops the Michael Myers character by his choice of casting an actor (Mane) to play the role.  Mane does an incredible job of using body motion and eye motion to craft his psychopathic façade as Myers.  His performance can be seen at times almost sympathetic, but at other times chilling and intimidating.  At 6’9”, Mane is the tallest person to portray Myers, to date.  In this film, Michael wore “the mask” when he was ten.  The mask in these scenes looked more like the mask we all know; while the mask in modern time was make to look like the rubber was decaying away (nice touch). One more cool thing about the character: the iconic white mask was custom made for this film using a mold of Tyler Mane’s face. 
The movie becomes more familiar to Halloween Fans when Myers escapes and goes on his killing spree.  The stalking scenes while Laurie, Lynda, and Annie are on their way home from school are redone in Carpenter fashion, as are the references to Myers being the Boogeyman.  Zombie also reproduced one of the original Halloween’s most famous (and one of my personal favorites) scenes with loving care.  This is the scene where Bob and Lynda have finished having some good ole’ teenage sex, and Bob goes to get beer.  Myers ambushes Bob, pins him to the wall, and impales him, then tilts his head in a kind of wonder as he watches the dead body.  He then puts on a ghost sheet along with Bob’s glasses and strangles the unsuspecting, still naked Lynda to death. 
Rob Zombie knows what horror fans want to see, which was evident in this film.  Movie blogs prior to this film’s release had spread rumors that Michael Myers was not going to don the iconic mask, he was going to use a gun in one scene, he was going to speak, he was going to run, and other such slasher film no-no’s.  Fortunately, all these proved to be untrue.
The plotline of Laurie Strode being Michael’s sister was central to this movie.  Fans of the franchise knew this element from the beginning, but Rob still saves the reveal till near to end of the film in true horror fashion.  This brother-sister element was not introduced until Halloween 2 where it was used to explain why Myers was continuing his pursuit of Laurie Strode, in the original two films, while Zombie uses this to further Michael’s character and give him motivation, outside of bloodlust, for his killings.  The only thing that was not easily explained was how he knew Laurie was his sister.  One could guess that when Myers saw her through the window of his house, and “maybe” he recognized her eyes, but no evidence exists to this point. 

I also was particularly impressed by Scout Taylor-Compton’s performance as Laurie in this movie.  She was much less of a goody-two-shoes than Jamie Lee Curtis was, but she did it without being a slut.  She also played off of Tyler Mane very effectively.  The audience sees a bit of the Myers’ curse in her at the end where she pulls the trigger of Loomis’ gun until she gets a round off, she then belts out a scream that could be seen as either shock and horror of all that has come to pass, but at the same time, reminiscent of Michael during his childhood psychotic episodes.  We are left to wonder… 
Rob Zombie was told by John Carpenter to make this movie his own, and that is just what he did.  It is much bloodier and more sexually charged that the original.  The psychology is a bit different, but I wouldn’t call it more disturbing in that sense.  Zombie shows us what can be done with a remake, and in my opinion, Hollywood should watch this movie and take notes.

The Breakdown:

Cast Performance: Excellent.  Malcolm McDowell had never seen the original Halloween when he did this film, and it is obvious to see him create the Dr. Loomis character in his own way.  He took on the case of Michael Myers to make a name for himself, as seen in the references to his book about Michael and his speech to a college psych class.  But, in a way, Loomis feels responsible for Myers’ current state, since he wasn’t able to perform the “miracle” he might have promised; to cure a psychopath. 
Rob Zombie fills the movie with his cast of favorites including his wife, William Forsythe, Bill Mosely, and Sid Haig along with horror film veterans such as Danny Trejo, Brad Dourif, Udo Kier, and Dee Wallace.  And as interesting twist, his usual cast gives opposite performances that what Zombie fans are used to.  For example, Sheri Moon-Zombie, who has previously played the role as the sociopath Baby Firefly, she now plays the nurturing and loving mother to Michael Myers in this film. 

Violence/Gore: Heavy.  Much bloodier than the original.

Nudity: Abundant.  This film has a few depictions of teen sex acts, which are all climaxed by an attack by Myers (no pun intended.)

Ambiance/Music: Excellent.  Zombie uses the music from the original Halloween along with tracks by bands such as The Misfits and The Blue Oyster Cult to create atmosphere along with the small town U.S.A. location. Very effective.

Interesting Notes: *Of all the actors in this film that portray teenagers, Scout Taylor-Compton who plays Laurie Strode was the only was who actually was a teenager when the film was shot.  All others were in their twenties.  Even with this in mind, they all did a good job or portraying American teen girls in the 21st century.  I was particularly impressed with Compton’s performance as Laurie, as stated before.
Also interesting is that Danielle Harris who plays Annie Brackett in this film had previously portrayed Laurie Strode’s orphaned daughter Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4 and 5 when she was a kid. 

Overall rating: 4.25/5 on the Bob Kline scale. 

Happy Birthday: Chris Carter

Creator of the XFiles Show and movies

Happy Birthday: Hugh Jackman

While he is a very good Wolverine, my favorite movie of his is The Prestige

Full Review: Halloween (1978)

People in the Movie:  Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Loomis, PJ Soles, Nick Castle

Director:  John Carpenter

Pigeonhole:  Horror / Teen Slasher

The Basics:  A 6 year old boy named Michael Myers stabs his 15 year old sister to death on Halloween night in 1963.  He is committed to Smith’s Grove Sanitarium under the watch of Dr. Sam Loomis (Pleasense) where he seemingly remains in a state of catatonia, until the night of October 30^th, 1978, when he escapes.  Loomis believes Michael, whom Loomis has diagnosed as simply “pure evil”, is headed to his hometown of Haddonfield, IL, to kill again on Halloween.  The targets: unsuspecting teens Laurie Strode (Curtis), and her friends.

Recommendation: This is one of my all time favorite horror movies, and a true timeless classic.  Even if you are not a horror fan, you should still see this.    “R” rating is for brief nudity, drug use, and violence (which I would call mild to moderate); there is very little blood or gore.  I highly recommend to be viewed in the dark, and in the month of October. 

My Take: Halloween is a true indie film produced on a very modest budget, with many of the characters using his/her own clothing, and most props being hand made with cheaply purchased items.  The only established actor was Pleasense, and Curtis would be making her film debut.  The producers came to Carpenter wanting a horror movie made about babysitters being stalked and killed, and wanted to get an Exorcist-like reaction out of the audience.  The scares of Halloween lie in the atmosphere and the simplicity of the movie – the music (mostly piano, which Carpenter played himself), the lighting (perfect mixes of light and shadows), and the simple movements of the killer while he is stalking and preying on the teenagers.  It is all believable: the environment being Anytown, USA, the characters are people you can relate to, or possibly know someone “like” them,  Laurie and her friends Annie (Loomis) and Lynda (Soles), the borderline obsessed psychiatrist, the somewhat dismissive police, and finally the emotionless murderer, all set to the backdrop of Halloween night. 

**spoiler alert** The opening sequence is masterful; the camera takes the audience first person with young Michael as he spies on his sister and her boyfriend making out on the couch, the boyfriend leaving after a quickie upstairs, Michael pulling a carving knife out of the drawer, slipping on a clown mask (the view is actually 2 eye holes as if you are wearing the mask too), up the stairs to her bedroom, and finally stabbing her.  What I liked even better was the look on Michael’s face when his parents unmask him outside, about a minute later, knife still in hand – it is not evil or anger or shock we see, it is almost a curious surprise.  It is hard for the audience to accept this kid could perform this cold, hard act, especially on a family member.

The whole idea of the escaped mental patient has been done; however, there is something deeper at play in Halloween.  In the theatrical release, we never actually lay eyes on Michael.  The only information we are given is via Dr. Loomis, who refers to Michael as “evil”, or a close variant, and his only concern is keeping Michael incarcerated.  The fact Michael was supposedly in a catatonic state throughout his stay at Smith’s Grove further lends weight to the idea that he is not just a garden-variety psychopath, but something else.  I like the suspense that is built, because we never actually see a face to put with the name until the very end of the movie.  Interestingly Michael’s masked persona is credited as “The Shape” (Castle).

Through the movie, the slow crescendo of the stalking of Laurie, Annie, and Lynda through Haddonfield, from early at school, to the girls walking home, and then finally through the shadows towards Laurie and Annie at their babysitting jobs, builds great tension.  The masked (but seemingly faceless) man slinking in and out of the bushes, and staring at Laurie in her bedroom, then disappearing, was chilling, almost as if he is everywhere and nowhere.

An all-time classic sequence in this film rolls like this: Lynda and her boyfriend Bob have just had intercourse, Bob then ventures downstairs to get beer.  Michael emerges from a closest stabbing Bob, suspending him to a door while Michael shifts his head side to side in wonder.  Michael proceeds upstairs under a sheet, with Bob’s glasses on the outside then opening the door to the bedroom where Lynda is waiting.  The audience, of course, knows this is Michael, and Lynda is about to be killed, but Lynda thinking this is Bob, continues to attempt to play sex games.

The movie climax, and the final confrontation plays out with Laurie injuring Michael multiple times as he is “chasing” her through a house.  He continues his attacks eventually strangling Laurie face to face, but this ends with Loomis emptying his gun into Michael, who then staggers and falls off a balcony.  The last scene of the movie is Loomis looking over the edge and not seeing Michael’s body where it should be, and Laurie crying as she realizes the killer is still at large.

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  The now-famous Michael Myers mask was created from a Captain Kirk mask, bought for $1.98… It somehow seems fitting that Jamie Lee was cast as Laurie, being the daughter of Janet Leigh from Hitchcock’s Psycho… Of course many people have commented on the obvious moral factor playing into this movie – the teens killed were sexually active, and consumed alcohol, drugs or both, while the “good girl” Laurie survives (even though Laurie actually took a hit off of a joint with Annie).  Carpenter dismisses this idea…

The direct sequels and reboots are: Halloween 2, 4 -The Return of Michael Myers,  5 -The Revenge of MM, 6 -The Curse of MM, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Halloween Resurrection, plus Halloween (Rob Zombie reboot) and Halloween 2 (Zombie).  Halloween III : Season of the Witch had nothing to do with the Michael Myers storyline.  Halloween III (reboot) is in pre-production, supposedly out next year.  

Happy Birthday: Chris Penn

My favorite role of the late Chris Penn is Nice Guy Eddie in Reservior Dogs

Happy Birthday: Scott Bakula & Guillermo del Toro

Scott - know better for his TV roles on Quantum Leap and Star Trek:Enterprise, but was in a decent horror flick called Lord of Illusions

Guillermo - director of the Hellboy movies, and Pan's Labyrinth

Zombies Zombies Zombies!

Since it is October, and horror movies are the flavor of the month, we should review some zombie basics. Zombies can be created my several means:
1) Voodoo (or similar) magic, and/or the use of zombie powder, done to create living-dead slaves.
2) Radiation or exposure to "something" from outer space.
3) Exposure to viral/bacterial agent, this being the most common in movies.

In the latter two, the zombie's created are also now highly contagious and can transmit their "zombieism" easily to other victims, usually via bite. The affects of these agents can be varied. Zombie's tend to have greater strength than living humans, but different strains have different results in reversing rigor mortis. A few strains, as seen in 28 Days Later, can completely reverse the affect. But the majority of them can only reduce rigor by 20-30%, which causes a condition not unlike arthritis making it difficult for the zombie to move. As seen in most films, these zombies move rather slow and can easily be outrun. Some zombies do crave human flesh, but we see that even subdivide into the specific desire for brains, or intestines. In most cases the only way to "kill" a zombie is to destroy its brain. This would suggest that these zombie-causing agents are only effective on cadavers with an intact brain.

For further research, consult these educational films.
Night of the Living Dead - The original, and still one of the best.
Dawn of the Dead - I recommend the original, but the remake is good too.
Zombie - Lucio Fulci's Italian horror classic, which includes the infamous "zombie vs. shark" scene.
Shaun of the Dead - Gory and hilarious British zombie goodness.
The Dead and the Damned - A zombie western. Cheesy, but good.
Ahhh! Zombies - A comedy from the Zombie's
Dead Snow - two words: Nazi Zombies

Happy Birthday: Matt Damon,Sigourney Weaver, Chevy Chase, Paul Hogan

Matt Damon - has put together quite a resume of great films - going back School Ties, Dogma, Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, Oceans 11,12,13, the Bourne movies, the Good Shepherd, The Departed, up through The Adjustment Bureau.  One of my favorite actors.

Sigourney Weaver - my favs of hers - Alien, and Copycat

Chevy Chase - my favs are Vacation and Fletch

Paul Hogan - "Crocodile" Dundee, where have you gone?

Bob's Full Review: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Bob’s (Continuing) Guide to Star Trek Films
Principal Cast: First Generation + Catherine Hicks and Mark Leonard

Basic Plot: The crew of the Enterprise have been on Vulcan for five months refitting the commandeered Bird of Prey for their voyage back to Earth.  With Spock back at his post, they return to the federation to face judgment for their violations of Starfleet regulations.  
As they make their way back, a probe of unknown origin makes its way to Earth sending out a signal that knocks out the power of everything around it and causes severe atmospheric uproar on the planet below.  In analyzing the probe’s transmission, the homeward bound Trek crew discovers that the probe is "speaking" the language of the humpback whale, which on Earth is now extinct. 
To save Earth, the crew must travel back in time to locate some humpback whales and bring them back to communicate with the probe.  
And, as my brother says, the tomfoolery ensues.

My Take:  This film is a fan favorite of Trekkies.  The mood of the film is much lighter and there is much more humor and fun to be found in this title, than in the previous trek films.  This is also the third of an “unintended trilogy” of Trek films beginning with “The Wrath of Khan.”
*Spoiler Alert*  The idea of time travel was nothing new to Star Trek at the time of this movie’s release.  Several episodes of the original series saw the crew travel back into history, including one of the show’s most popular episodes, “City on the Edge of Forever” written by Harlan Ellison.  The film does a good job of paying enough attention to the fact that Kirk and company are out of their natural time frame without getting away from the thick of the plot.  The humor of the film is also well balanced out and doesn’t take away from the movement of the piece.  In other words, the writers didn’t go out of their way to be funny. 
The cast gives a good performance, as usual, with the humor again being the added note.  The comedic pacing and delivery is surprising from a cast that is usually called upon to deliver dramatic performance with only the occasional comic relief.  
Aside from the humor, the story seems to get back to basics.  Earth is threatened, the crew works to save the world, and deals with problems as they come up.  The subject of driving a species to extinction and the possible consequences of this action are brought up but not dwelled upon too heavily.  
Like I said, this is a fan favorite.  It does get a little goofy at times, but that’s not always a bad thing.  Who didn’t love it when Spock neck pinches the punk rocker?  

Interesting note: As stated earlier, Catherine Hicks would gfo on to star in 7th Heaven with Stephen Collins who played Captain Decker in the first film.  So, both the Camdens have had screen time with Shatner.  How about them apples?  

Movie themes

Bob's two cents on opening theme music. 

A lot of the best movies out there begin with an opening sequence, credits or otherwise, set to a highly recognizable musical number.  To me, this is like the first paragraph of a book.  It can serve to set the tone of the film and draw the audience into the picture.  Here are some of my favorites.

Star Wars: The obvious choice, but who can argue?
James Bond: Could there be a Bond movie without the opening spy music? (I haven't seen every single bond movie, so if there is one, that's just a shame.)
Conan the Barbarian: The original, not the remake.  
The Terminator: 80's synthesizer at it's best. 
Brick: Short, but full of emotion and very powerful. 
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: It starts with the opening from the tv show, then launches into a great piece of orchestration. (I reference this movie a lot, by the way.)
Jaws: The fluidity of the Bass serves as a great metaphor for the ocean, and it just says, "You're about to become shark food."
Halloween: Creepy piano goodness. 
Napoleon Dynamite: "We're Going to be Friends" the by The White Stripes was the perfect way to start this film. 


James' thoughts :


Halloween - also one my favorites
Kids - Folk Implosions' "Daddy Never Understood" really sets up that whole movie
Psycho - just something about the instrumentation, it sticks with you.  Busta Rhymes also sampled this for "Gimme Some More"
Apocalypse Now - opens with the Doors' "The End", very fitting
Nightmare on Elm St - excellent 80's synthesizer, low budget, but great

Happy Birthday: Elisabeth Shue

My favorite of hers is Cocktail

Quotable movies : some of James' favorites

some of James' most quotable movies:

 

Ferris Beuller's Day Off

Road House

Coming to America

South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut

Clerks

Caddyshack

Happy Birthday: to 5

Kate Winslet - my fav, the Life of David Gale

Guy Pearce - my favs are LA Confiedential and Memento

Karen Allen - my fav is Raiders of the Lost Ark

Donald Pleasense - best known as Dr Loomis in the Halloween series

Clive Barker - horror writer, and writer/director of Hellraiser

Full Review: Nightmare on Elm St 2: Freddys Revenge (1985)

People in the Movie:  Robert Englund, Mark Patton, Kim Myers

Director:  Jack Sholder

Pigeonhole:  Horror / Teen Slasher

The Basics:  Jesse (Patton) and his family have just moved into a new house on Elm Street.  He is having trouble sleeping because a scary, burned man begins stalking Jesse in his dreams, wanting Jesse to kill for him.  That man is Freddy Krueger.  He is back; it is 5 years after he attacked Nancy Thompson and her friends in their dreams, and it appears he wants to kill some more.  The only person who seems interested in helping Jesse is his “girlfriend” Lisa (Myers). 

Recommendation:  I guess you have to watch something to criticize it, right?  If you like Freddy, and you like seeing him killing with his glove, you can fast forward to those parts… otherwise this movie is a major letdown.  As a standalone (meaning you never watched the first Nightmare), this movie actually makes the most sense.  'R' rating is for violence, gore, and language.    

My Take: **spoiler alert** It is clear from the on-screen product that this movie was rushed into production to capitalize on the success of the prior film, without any (or very little) thought to the story.  Wes Craven wanted nothing to do with this film; in fact, he did not originally want Nightmare on Elm St. to become a franchise.

I’ll start with the good parts… The movie is only 87 minutes long.  Freddy is definitely more interested in the killing this time, the body count is higher, and there is more of a gore factor.  My favorite scenes: the family bird killing its mate, then flying through the house and blowing up; Freddy going into Jesse’s sister’s room, the audience seeing the glove and hearing Freddy’s voice, but then seeing it on Jesse – very creepy; and finally Freddy’s attack on the pool party, with several good cut downs, as it were.

Now the bad stuff…  The title, ‘Freddy’s Revenge’; what’s that about?  Who is he seeking revenge on, and for what?  That was never made clear.   Freddy is only on-screen for 13 minutes.   Freddy coming out and attacking people in the “real world” versus killing them in their dreams (which should be the whole point of the Freddy character), was just a bad idea.  It seemed like the writers and director could not decide if Freddy was somehow linked/anchored to the house on Elm Street, hence why he would pick Jesse, since he was now in Nancy’s old bedroom, or if Freddy was just a possessing spirit at this point, and using the Elm Street house was just a means to link this movie to the first and to the audience.  The whole feel of the movie was just “off”, mostly because of the context to first film.  Finally, the ending was putrid.  Lisa somehow “talking” Jesse’s essence and body out of Freddy, now in the real world, with words of love, was just plain stupid.  There is no other way to describe it.

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  Generally speaking, this is the “black sheep” of the entire series, and least regarded film… Brad Pitt, John Stamos, and Christian Slater all auditioned for the role of Jesse…

Interesting fact: the movie’s screen writer David Chaskin has confirmed that he intentionally meant for the film to have homoerotic subtext.  Witnessed by: Jesse being in various states of undress throughout the movie; Jesse wrestling with Grady (Robert Rusler) on the baseball field with his pants partially down; Jesse having a “No Chicks Allowed” sign on his bedroom door; Jesse doing a dance in his room, and using his butt to pack his drawers; Jesse ignoring Lisa’s sultry advance to help him clean in his bedroom; Jesse running into his gym teacher at a gay S&M bar; balls being thrown at the gym teacher, and the gym teacher being subsequently stripped and swatted on his butt before he is killed; Jesse starting to make out with Lisa at her party, but then running to Grady’s house, where Grady is in bed in his tighty-whiteys; Jesse screaming like a girl throughout the movie; and even casting Mark Patton was intentional, as he was “out”.    

Awesome Quotes: PCU (1994)‏

"Look at this unbridled display of testosterone. It makes me sick."

"What's up babes?"

"Pack up your rape culture and take a hike!"

"You want a brew, dawg?"

"We're not interested in your penis!"

"No, I think he is asking if we would like a beer... Yes, we would like. A. Beer."

"Alright!"

"So it's like if your nice to them, they bring you stuff?"

"Exactly." 

Happy Birthday: Alicia Silverstone, Liev Schreiber, & Anne Rice

Alicia- my favorite movie of hers is still Clueless.

Liev- great roles in Salt, The Omen (remake), and Xmen Origins-Wolverine

Anne- author of the Vampire Chronicles, some of which have made their way to the big screen

Happy Birthday: Clive Owen & Neve Campbell

Clive- my favs of his are Closer and Children of Men

Neve- of course know as the star of the Scream films, but I liked her role in Wild Things

Full Review: Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

People in the Movie:  Danny Glover, Mel Gibson, Joe Pesci

Director:  Richard Donner

Pigeonhole:  Action / Buddy-Cop

The Basics:  Riggs (Gibson) and Murtaugh (Glover) are back, taking on a group of South African drug dealers, this time.  What makes this case tough is that the “bad guys” all happen to be diplomats and subsequently are protected by their immunity to local laws.  Adding to this mess, Riggs and Murtaugh end up with a federal witness to protect, Leo Getz (Pesci), while still trying to complete their investigation.  This installment has a much more comical tone than the first film, but does not lack for gunfire, car chases, destruction, and general mayhem. 

Recommendation:  A decent sequel, with (still) a good mix of action scenes and story.  As I noted this movie has a borderline comical undertone, so it seems “lighter” than subject material.  There a lot of one-liners, while serious scenes seem to wait for a punch-line, and therefore the movie does not seem as believable. 

If you like: the previous movie, Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Richard Donner films – you will like this one.  It can stand alone, as well, for anyone who did not see the first.  “R” rating is for violence, language, nudity.  

My Take: **spoiler alert** A “worth the price of admission” movie, but not much more.  The 2 main bad guys are played by Joss Ackland, as the “boss” named Arjen Rudd and Derrick O’Connor playing Pieter Vorstead, the right-hand man/thug.  They both are believable, and pull off Dutch sounding accents.  O’Connor seemed just a bit too old to be as good a fighter as was portrayed when he fights Riggs near the end of the film.

Pesci plays Leo Getz, a bumbling money launderer who decided to testify against a drug gang in federal court, after they put a contract on him for stealing their hard-earned drug money.  And, what a coincidence, the drug gang - it’s the South Africans- Riggs and Murtaugh are already investigating.  Pesci is good for comic relief, but little else.

The movies unfolds with some antics mixed with a little seriousness, including a fake protest at the South African consulate, and Riggs getting romantically involved with the South African consulate secretary.  Their relationship doesn’t end well, if you were wondering.  The peak of the action is the bad guys putting a “hit” out on all the cops; they kill all of the homicide detectives in the squad, except for Riggs and Murtaugh.  Predictably Riggs and Murtuagh “go rogue” and kill all of the South Africans. 

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  This the second of four Lethal Weapon films, to date…The body was reported at 33, highest of the LW movies…Riggs was reportedly supposed to die at the end of this movie after being shot, the producer  deciding/wanting to make more movies allowed him to live…

Happy Birthday: Groucho Marx & Lorraine Bracco

Groucho Marx - of the Marx brothers fame... I am not sure their type of comedy will ever exist again, except on DVD...

Lorraine Bracco - best know as Dr Melfi on the Sopranos, but had a very good role in Goodfellas.

Bob's Full Review: Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Principal Cast: Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, Scott Wilson, Robert Englund
Director: Scott Glosserman
Genre: Horror/Comedy

The Basics: A grad school student and her film crew agree to document the preparation of a killer planning a night of mass murder. Vernon gives them an “inside” look into how he chooses his group of victims, how he prepares himself physically for a night of stalking and killing, how he prepares his environment for the event, explains the logistics of mass murder, and invites them along as he terrorizes his home town, who believes he died at the hands of a lynch mob.

Recommendation: Fans of indie slasher flicks and mockumentary films should get a kick out of this one. It’s not incredibly bloody, nor is there much in the way of adult language. The R rating is mostly for what some might see as “glorification” of violence.

My Take: *Spoiler alert* What I like about this movie was it’s dark sense of humor. Leslie Vernon presents himself as a professional in the business of fear and talks about the details of his killing spree as if he were a cooking show host explaining a recipe to the audience. In world of the film, the deus ex machina if you will, Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers were all real people in the “business” that Leslie Vernon has chosen to occupy himself with. The film does a pretty good job satirizing those films in the way that Leslie prepares for the killing; such using a computer generated news clipping to convince his main target, whom he refers to as his “survivor girl,” that her great uncle was Leslie’s father by means of raping his mother, giving him motive for revenge.
The film also succeeds as a satire of the pov camera style of horror found in films such as “The Blair Witch Project” and “Paranormal Activity.” There are times where the camera cuts away and the film transitions into a more traditional scene style of slasher flick, but then goes back to the handheld pov.
The back-story itself is your basic slasher cliché. Leslie Vernon was the product of a rape, so his mother isolated him from society, keeping him in the cider press shed and making him till the family apple orchard with only a hand scythe. He murders his mother and hangs her body from an apple tree which causes the town to lynch him by throwing him over the local waterfall. On the anniversary of this attack, teenagers go to the Vernon farm to party, and this year he’s gonna show up. As I noted above, somewhat cliché, but it works well for the tone of the movie. This quickly takes a backseat to the plot at hand when it is revealed by Leslie’s psychiatrist (Englund) that he is not Leslie Vernon, but an obsessed mental patient from Reno. I thought this reveal was kind of a funny way to explain how Jason and Michael can appear to die and keep coming back in their various ways- along with Leslie’s devious use of a bulletproof vest and flame retardant makeup under his mask as his protection.

Think of it as Borat meets Jason. It’s kinda funny, not very scary, but well thought out.

Statistics
Cast Performance: Good. Look to the supporting cast on this one. Baesel does a pretty good job as the killer-in-training, but the performances of Robert Englund and Zelda Rubenstein, as brief as they are, shine through this film.

Violence/Gore: Mild. There’s only a couple scenes of people actually getting killed, but the carnage factor is extremely low since no stage blood was used. Most of the victims die off camera.

Nudity: Some. There is one obligatory boob shot, and couple of up skirt/underwear shots, and a two second “suggestive” nudity sex scene.

Ambiance/Soundtrack: Okay. Since this is a mockumentary not a whole lot of attention was paid to creating atmosphere is this film, but it works for the style.

Overall rating: 3.5/5 on the Bob Kline scale.

Quick Look: High Tension (2003)

High Tension, also called Haute Tension, is a French horror film worth checking out.  Two college friends, Marie and Alex are looking for weekend getaway, so they head to Alex's parents place in the country.  After the "grand tour", the two have dinner with Alex's family, all seems good, so they venture off to bed.  Marie is awakened by the doorbell, and Alex's dad answers the door.  It is a serial killer who enters and subsequently murders all of Alex's family, while Marie looks on in shock, hiding in various spots of the house as the serial killer moves room to room.  The killer then kidnaps Alex, and Marie follows intent to save her friend, you see, Marie is deeply in love with Alex.
What happens then - is the best part of the movie.  There are hints all along what the twist is,  but it is still gasping fun to witness.
This is a blood-splatter movie, for sure, so if you do not like gory killings, I would not recommend it.  But, if you are up for a tense, graphically violent 91 minute ride thrill ride, check it out.  

Full Review: Lethal Weapon (1987)

People in the Movie:  Danny Glover, Mel Gibson, Gary Busey

Director:  Richard Donner

Pigeonhole:  Action / Buddy-Cop

The Basics:  An aging veteran detective, Murtaugh (Glover), is paired with the on-edge, possibly suicidal detective, Martin Riggs (Gibson), to investigate a homicide.  They are both apprehensive of each other, at first, but as they dig deeper into the case their friendship grows.  They will soon find themselves head to head with a drug dealing ring that has roots back to the Vietnam War, where Murtaugh encounters an old friend from the past who may be involved.  

Recommendation:  This movie has a somewhat gritty edge to it (for 1987), which gives it a little bit of unpredictability.  There are some great action scenes, balanced with a little bit of humor, plus Glover, Gibson, and Busey all play great characters.  If you like action/cop movies you will love this.   The “R” rating is for violence, language, and brief nudity.

My Take: **spoiler alert** At its core, this film is a basic cops versus the drug dealers story.  The strength lies in the performances we see, and the chemistry on screen.

Riggs plays the ‘crazy’ cop.  He seems to be on a roller coaster of anger, aggression, and grief, tortured by recent the death of his wife in a traffic accident.  Riggs also appears to be suicidal, evidenced by scenes like engaging armed drug dealers almost single-handedly in a drug bust, holding a loaded gun to his head while intoxicated, and jumping off a building with another man who was threatening suicide, himself.  Yet, under this pain is the guy “who gets the job done”.  We also learn Riggs was Special Forces in Vietnam, and was a great sharp shooter, in addition to knowing martial arts.

Murtaugh is the veteran cop, who, as the line in the movie states “is getting too old for this…”  He has just turned 50 years old; he is a husband and father of 3, so taking on Riggs as his new partner creates a whole new stress load which he does not want.  Yet, Murtaugh begins to see the bigger picture and realizes Riggs is good cop going through a bad time.  In a scene after Riggs has saved Murtaugh from being shot, the wall comes down and Murtaugh beings to trust Riggs.

Gary Busey plays Mr. Joshua, a hit-man thug-type, working for the drug ring.  He is a perfect contrast to Riggs’ cop character, as Joshua has that ‘crazy side’, as well, but his is manifested through killing and torture for his bosses.  His on screen presence is very menacing, and you believe that he is capable of doing every nasty deed we witness.  Joshua and Riggs have a several minute “final fight” that is very entertaining.

Lethal Weapon, in my opinion, is one of those movies where acting, directing, and story all come together for a fantastic result.                  

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  There are 3 sequels to this film… I read a rumor that there is some thought to remake this film, all new cast.  I just do not see how it could come together like this one, and have an on-screen results even semi- comparable…