It was 35 years ago today that one of the greatest Science Fiction films, one the greatest sequels, and one of the best films of a franchise was released at the Seattle International Film Festival. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
(It has actually premiered a few days earlier in DC to a limited audience, but I digress.)
Remember 1980? In the world before Twitter, Google, text messages, etc. a person could go see a movie and enjoy the shock, suspense, or twist without (likely) having already been informed by 500 other people.
What was your reaction when the revelation that Darth Vader was Luke's father was revealed?
So why was Empire the "best", in my opinion:
- In general the whole movie, effects included, felt more organic - even the puppet space whale.
- I like that the Rebels lost at every turn
- Luke and Yoda's scenes; Han and Leia's scenes. The interactions between the actors felt real, and not contrived. Luke's training felt like a true struggle, as opposed to going through some motions.
- We still didn't know Luke and Leia were brother and sister, so Luke and Han were still romantic rivals for Leia
- Darth Vader choking multiple people to death for being insolent
- There were no large scale crazy space battles with thousands of ships buzzing around like fireflys at the campfire
- The settings - Hoth looked and "felt" like a frozen wasteland. Cloud City looked like a futuristic place without being completely overboard. (remember this was 1980)
- The lightsaber fight between Luke and Vader in Cloud City. While the action of future lightsaber duels/ fights was more stylish, the harsh simplicity of the Carbon Chamber with the shadows and dull orange glowing lights, and later the grey engineering areas lent themselves to the most believable duel.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Friday, October 31, 2014
Happy Halloween! Birthdays/ Anniversarys / and more
Ten years ago around Halloween weekend the Saw franchise launched the first film of what would become the seven film series, with a new entry coming out annually after that.
Many theaters around the nation are re-showing the original this weekend. It is definitely one worth seeing on the big screen. Really, who doesn't want to see Cary Elwes saw off his own foot in an act of desperation?
Happy Birthday to: Peter Jackson, director and producer - best know for the Lord of the Rings films; the late John Candy (best role was in Splash); Rob Schneider (of SNL fame); Dermot Mulroney; Brian Doyle-Murray; Michael J Anderson (the dwarf from Twin Peaks); the late Frank Silva (killer BOB from Twin Peaks); Stephen Rea (best role was in Citizen X); and Vanilla Ice.
Looking for some horror films to watch this weekend?
Check out some of our reviews for ideas.
Many theaters around the nation are re-showing the original this weekend. It is definitely one worth seeing on the big screen. Really, who doesn't want to see Cary Elwes saw off his own foot in an act of desperation?
Happy Birthday to: Peter Jackson, director and producer - best know for the Lord of the Rings films; the late John Candy (best role was in Splash); Rob Schneider (of SNL fame); Dermot Mulroney; Brian Doyle-Murray; Michael J Anderson (the dwarf from Twin Peaks); the late Frank Silva (killer BOB from Twin Peaks); Stephen Rea (best role was in Citizen X); and Vanilla Ice.
Looking for some horror films to watch this weekend?
Check out some of our reviews for ideas.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Awesomely creepy movie quote: Poltergeist (1982)
"There is no death. There is only a transition to a different sphere of consciousness. Carol Anne is not like those she's with. She is a living presence in their spiritual earthbound plain. They are attracted to the one thing about her that is different from themselves - her lifeforce. It is very strong. It gives off its own illumination. It is a light that implies life and memory of love and home and earthly pleasures, something they desperately desire but can't have anymore. Right now, she's the closest thing to that, and that is a terrible distraction from the real LIGHT that has finally come for them. You understand me? These souls, who for whatever reason are not at rest, are also not aware that they have passed on. They're not part of consciousness as we know it. They linger in a perpetual dreamstate, a nightmare from which they can not awake. Inside the spectral light is salvation, a window to the next plain. They must pass through this membrane where friends are waiting to guide them to new destinies. Carol Anne must help them cross over, and she will only hear her mother's voice. Now hold on to yourselves... There's one more thing. A terrible presence is in there with her. So much rage, so much betrayal, I've never sensed anything like it. I don't know what hovers over this house, but it was strong enough to punch a hole into this world and take your daughter away from you. It keeps Carol Anne very close to it and away from the spectral light. It LIES to her, it tells her things only a child could understand. It has been using her to restrain the others. To her, it simply IS another child. To us, it is the BEAST. Now, let's go get your daughter."
Friday, October 3, 2014
Awesome movie quotes: Halloween II (1981)
"In order to appease the gods, the Druid priests held fire rituals.
Prisoners of war, criminals, the insane, animals... were... burned alive
in baskets. By observing the way they died, the Druids believed they
could see omens of the future. Two thousand years later, we've come no
further. Samhain isn't evil spirits. It isn't goblins, ghosts or
witches. It's the unconscious mind. We're all afraid of the dark inside
ourselves."
Thursday, October 2, 2014
October is here
The leaves are changing, and the whether is growing cooler.
Fall is here, and so is the best time of the year to see horror films.
Make sure to check our links to the reviewed horror films.
Fall is here, and so is the best time of the year to see horror films.
Make sure to check our links to the reviewed horror films.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Quick Look - Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
People in the movie: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, CGI Aliens
In this film, Tom Cruise plays a military officer who is forced to go into battle against an alien attack, in spite of the fact that he has never once in his career been on the battlefield. He is quickly overcome and killed, but an exposure to the alien race’s blood gives him their temporal ability and every time he dies, he starts the day over.
His warnings of the battle turning into a slaughter fall on deaf ears, so he enlists the help of Emily Blunt, who once had the same exposure and time anomaly as he did. She agrees to train him for the battle and help him end the siege of the alien race.
*Spoiler Alert* From the trailers and the plot description, one might think this movie is a cross between “Independence Day” and “Groundhog Day,” and for the most part, they would be right. Depending on how you look at it, this can be either a good thing or a bad thing, or both.
All genres have recurring themes and plot devices. For example you have the boy meets girl and the tomfoolery ensues of the romantic comedy, Michael Bay’s gratuitous explosions which are still awesome, and the masked killer kills teenagers found in horror. The time loop is a familiar plot device in science fiction found in short stories such as “Double and Redoubled” by Malcolm Jameson first printed in 1941, television such as an episode of Star Trek TNG entitled “Cause and Effect,” and, of course, films such as “Groundhog Day.” Like all plot devices, the time loop has its uses and can lead to some creative storytelling and interesting character development (two big things I look for,) but can be limiting to plot development and can easily become cliché and predictable, which many audiences balk at.
Even though the audience knows what it’s going to get with this movie, given that it is a summer action flick, the plot is a solid one, and the film moves nicely from beginning to end. The movie doesn’t attempt to answer any of the “big questions” such as where the aliens came from, what do they want with us, how do they reproduce, what do they like on their pizza, etc. Exposition such as this can be interesting, but can very easily slow the movie down and lose its audience, as I believe it would have in this movie. The action sequences were well done with steady camera angles and solid visual effects, and were done without making the audience feel over saturated with eye candy.
The character development in the film was very interesting. With Cruise’s character, we see his growth from pencil pushing softie to steel balled bad-ass through the film, as well as the toll taken on him by constant training and fighting. With Emily Blunt’s character, the film does a good job showing that she is a constant in the recurring day; we learn more about her as the film progresses, but she doesn’t have the same wear and tear as Cruise, since she is that constant.
As far as summer films go, this is a pretty good one. Some might say that the powered combat suits was just eye candy and unnecessary, but I look at it like this: Were the needed? Maybe not. Were they cool? Yup. Did they take away from the movie? Not really, so why not? This is a movie I would recommend trying to catch while it’s still in theaters, but should work well in home theater as well.
In this film, Tom Cruise plays a military officer who is forced to go into battle against an alien attack, in spite of the fact that he has never once in his career been on the battlefield. He is quickly overcome and killed, but an exposure to the alien race’s blood gives him their temporal ability and every time he dies, he starts the day over.
His warnings of the battle turning into a slaughter fall on deaf ears, so he enlists the help of Emily Blunt, who once had the same exposure and time anomaly as he did. She agrees to train him for the battle and help him end the siege of the alien race.
*Spoiler Alert* From the trailers and the plot description, one might think this movie is a cross between “Independence Day” and “Groundhog Day,” and for the most part, they would be right. Depending on how you look at it, this can be either a good thing or a bad thing, or both.
All genres have recurring themes and plot devices. For example you have the boy meets girl and the tomfoolery ensues of the romantic comedy, Michael Bay’s gratuitous explosions which are still awesome, and the masked killer kills teenagers found in horror. The time loop is a familiar plot device in science fiction found in short stories such as “Double and Redoubled” by Malcolm Jameson first printed in 1941, television such as an episode of Star Trek TNG entitled “Cause and Effect,” and, of course, films such as “Groundhog Day.” Like all plot devices, the time loop has its uses and can lead to some creative storytelling and interesting character development (two big things I look for,) but can be limiting to plot development and can easily become cliché and predictable, which many audiences balk at.
Even though the audience knows what it’s going to get with this movie, given that it is a summer action flick, the plot is a solid one, and the film moves nicely from beginning to end. The movie doesn’t attempt to answer any of the “big questions” such as where the aliens came from, what do they want with us, how do they reproduce, what do they like on their pizza, etc. Exposition such as this can be interesting, but can very easily slow the movie down and lose its audience, as I believe it would have in this movie. The action sequences were well done with steady camera angles and solid visual effects, and were done without making the audience feel over saturated with eye candy.
The character development in the film was very interesting. With Cruise’s character, we see his growth from pencil pushing softie to steel balled bad-ass through the film, as well as the toll taken on him by constant training and fighting. With Emily Blunt’s character, the film does a good job showing that she is a constant in the recurring day; we learn more about her as the film progresses, but she doesn’t have the same wear and tear as Cruise, since she is that constant.
As far as summer films go, this is a pretty good one. Some might say that the powered combat suits was just eye candy and unnecessary, but I look at it like this: Were the needed? Maybe not. Were they cool? Yup. Did they take away from the movie? Not really, so why not? This is a movie I would recommend trying to catch while it’s still in theaters, but should work well in home theater as well.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Happy 30th Anniversary: Ghostbusters
June 8th, 1984, near the end of my 4th grade school year, a movie released that had an excellent mix of sci-fi special effects, comedy, a good soundtrack (including a #1 title track) and a cast to remember.
Ghostbusters would lead to a sequel, multiple comic book story-lines, multiple video games, toy lines (for all media), breakfast cereals, and multiple cartoons across various networks.
"He slimed me."
Ghostbusters would lead to a sequel, multiple comic book story-lines, multiple video games, toy lines (for all media), breakfast cereals, and multiple cartoons across various networks.
"He slimed me."
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Little Known Facts: A Nightmare on Elm St (1984)
- It took upwards of 3 hours to get Robert Englund fully into the Freddy makeup
- More than 500 gallons of fake blood was used
- The role of Nancy was highly sought; Heather Langenkamp beat out over 200 actors for the part including Demi Moore, Jennifer Grey, Courteney Cox and Tracy Golde (from Growing Pains, not the porn-star)
- In some sense of irony, the first time Robert Englund tried on the Freddy glove, he cut himself
- The words "Elm Street" are not actually said during the film
- New Line Cinema was on the verge of bankruptcy, until the success of this film
- Freddy is on the screen less than 7 minutes
- From some deleted scenes there was indication that Nancy and her friends were not all "only children"; they had brothers and sisters who were previously killed by Freddy
- More than 500 gallons of fake blood was used
- The role of Nancy was highly sought; Heather Langenkamp beat out over 200 actors for the part including Demi Moore, Jennifer Grey, Courteney Cox and Tracy Golde (from Growing Pains, not the porn-star)
- In some sense of irony, the first time Robert Englund tried on the Freddy glove, he cut himself
- The words "Elm Street" are not actually said during the film
- New Line Cinema was on the verge of bankruptcy, until the success of this film
- Freddy is on the screen less than 7 minutes
- From some deleted scenes there was indication that Nancy and her friends were not all "only children"; they had brothers and sisters who were previously killed by Freddy
Friday, May 9, 2014
Review: Alien 3 (1992)
People in the Movie: Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dutton
Director: David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac)
Pigeonhole: Sci Fi/ Horror
Recommendation: This is a strange film in the sense that there are things I really despise about Alien 3 - mostly relating to discarded story lines and what would eventually end up being filmed - but at the same time, the on-screen product has some very good production elements. While the plot did not expand the Alien universe mythology, it is still a fairly entertaining movie to watch, and I would recommend seeing it. 'R' rating is for language, horror-type violence and gore.
Basics: This is the third movie of the Alien franchise, it picks up right after the events of Aliens. Ripley (Weaver), Newt, Hicks, and the remaining pieces of Bishop are all jettisoned from the Sulaco, still asleep in their cryotubes, via escape pod, due to a fire aboard the ship. (The audience sees that this incident was caused due to the presence of one of the "face-hugger" aliens.) The pod crash lands onto a planet called 'Fury-161', which houses the remnants of a prison colony. Ripley survives, however, Newt and Hicks are killed, while Bishop's scattered pieces are subsequently thrown to the scrap heap.
We learn that there are only about a dozen inmates remaining at this facility, but these are the worst-of-the-worst type of criminals, and all noted to have the "double Y chromosome". They have stayed on this planet under the watch of a warden, his assistant, a medical officer named Clemens (Charles Dance), and have formed a sort of neo-Christian support group, as they would not ever be allowed back into regular society. The inmates are no longer kept in their cells and service the old foundry/ prison as custodians. Now faced with the task of quelling the disruption of a woman amongst their numbers, the warden suggests Ripley confine herself to the medical area with Clemens until her rescue group arrives.
The face-hugger alien has also hitched a ride on the escape pod and finds a dog at the prison to attach himself to and plants an embryo. Then the fun begins... An alien, different from all the ones we have seen in the past 2 movies, bursts from the dog to begin stalking and killing the inmate-residents of Fury-161. We learn Ripley is housing a dark secret, as well. There will be only one survivor.
**Spoiler Alert**
What went right:
- I liked the gothic look and feel of the movie. The colors throughout were muted with lots of browns, greys, and an almost overall sepia quality. Weaver shaved her head for the film, which initially seemed like it was going to be more of a talking point or gimmick, but in my opinion actually worked very well. Metaphorically speaking, Ripley was as much a prisoner to the circumstances and came off as an equal to the other characters of Alien 3. In general, the idea to have the film take place in a prison setting I feel is an element worth praising.
- Fincher (in his film debut) did create some enjoyable sequences with a good rise in tension, and reasonable amount of action when called for. I also enjoyed some shots that were done as if the audience is looking through the alien's eyes. Fincher also used a minimal approach to showing the alien in the scenes, like in the original Alien. He let the music and the environment create the suspense.
- The film production and direction stayed true to the idea that the setting was a run-down prison, so there was no misplaced introduction of some futuristic gadgets to help the plot move along. In fact, quite contrary, there was a total lack of anything technological to assist the characters against the alien, and I appreciated this element.
- The ending was entirely appropriate and rose my overall impression about this film's beginning to end totality. To set it up: Ripley, about mid-way through the film discovers she was implanted with an alien, so as the movie progresses, it's almost like a "death sentence" for both her and all the remaining characters. In the last sequence, Ripley, knowing she is carrying a Queen alien embryo, throws herself in the metal works just as the newborn alien is bursting out of her chest. Very much an exclamation point ending to one of the most powerful female characters in all of science fiction at the time.
What went wrong:
- I will discuss the overall misdirection of the complete story/plot in another post. But, one of my first issues with Alien 3 was the decision the kill off Newt and Hicks to open the film. I felt this was complete disrespect to the whole second movie, and basically minimized the entire "struggle" for Ripley, Hicks and Newt to escape LV-426 and to have defeated the Queen Alien and her broad.
- As I noted above, there was no attempt to expand the Alien mythology in this movie. Other than the element of the "monster" coming out of a dog this time, there was nothing I could point to that really made this story stand apart from its predecessors.
- Where Aliens did not necessarily feel like a direct sequel to Alien because of its ability to stand on its own a great sci-fi/action movie, Alien 3 does almost feel like a bad horror movie sequel to Alien and Aliens. Yes, it's a different planet with different characters, but still the same overall problem. From the opening sequence, I had the "here we go again" feeling.
Final Thoughts:
I think time has rightfully been kind to Alien 3. This is one of the few movies in my life I actually went to see opening weekend in theater. My initial reaction at that time was one of dismay - I was upset that Hicks was killed before the movie even started, and I was basically stewing for the remainder of the film just looking for anything redeeming at that point. I thought, at that point, David Fincher should go back to directing Madonna videos and leave feature film making to others.
(Fortunately Fincher came back a few years later directing Se7en, and has since established himself as one of the great American directors of the last 20 years.)
I also felt that the Alien mythology and future stories could have died with Alien 3 because of the death of Ripley, and the very shaky story. Luckily in science fiction and horror, no one ever "really" dies, witnessed by the future installments in the Alien film family.
After re-watching Alien 3, I realized my initial hostility was quelled and I found that it has very entertaining elements. While Alien 3 could be the most polarizing installment in the Alien universe as far as criticisms ranging from "very good" to a "complete waste of time", I find it an enjoyable member of the Alien films collection.
Tidbits:
- Oddly, Fincher was nominated for a Saturn and Hugo award for this film
- There is an "Assembly Cut" of this film which has approximately 30 more minutes of footage, and does supposedly add more back story and depth. I have not seen this cut as of this writing.
- David Fincher directed, but essentially has disavowed this movie because of studio/producer interference. He was not involved with the editing, and feels what is on screen is not what he envisioned.
- Multiple directors and multiple writers were associated with this film and were either fired or quit before David Fincher came aboard.
Director: David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac)
Pigeonhole: Sci Fi/ Horror
Recommendation: This is a strange film in the sense that there are things I really despise about Alien 3 - mostly relating to discarded story lines and what would eventually end up being filmed - but at the same time, the on-screen product has some very good production elements. While the plot did not expand the Alien universe mythology, it is still a fairly entertaining movie to watch, and I would recommend seeing it. 'R' rating is for language, horror-type violence and gore.
Basics: This is the third movie of the Alien franchise, it picks up right after the events of Aliens. Ripley (Weaver), Newt, Hicks, and the remaining pieces of Bishop are all jettisoned from the Sulaco, still asleep in their cryotubes, via escape pod, due to a fire aboard the ship. (The audience sees that this incident was caused due to the presence of one of the "face-hugger" aliens.) The pod crash lands onto a planet called 'Fury-161', which houses the remnants of a prison colony. Ripley survives, however, Newt and Hicks are killed, while Bishop's scattered pieces are subsequently thrown to the scrap heap.
We learn that there are only about a dozen inmates remaining at this facility, but these are the worst-of-the-worst type of criminals, and all noted to have the "double Y chromosome". They have stayed on this planet under the watch of a warden, his assistant, a medical officer named Clemens (Charles Dance), and have formed a sort of neo-Christian support group, as they would not ever be allowed back into regular society. The inmates are no longer kept in their cells and service the old foundry/ prison as custodians. Now faced with the task of quelling the disruption of a woman amongst their numbers, the warden suggests Ripley confine herself to the medical area with Clemens until her rescue group arrives.
The face-hugger alien has also hitched a ride on the escape pod and finds a dog at the prison to attach himself to and plants an embryo. Then the fun begins... An alien, different from all the ones we have seen in the past 2 movies, bursts from the dog to begin stalking and killing the inmate-residents of Fury-161. We learn Ripley is housing a dark secret, as well. There will be only one survivor.
**Spoiler Alert**
What went right:
- I liked the gothic look and feel of the movie. The colors throughout were muted with lots of browns, greys, and an almost overall sepia quality. Weaver shaved her head for the film, which initially seemed like it was going to be more of a talking point or gimmick, but in my opinion actually worked very well. Metaphorically speaking, Ripley was as much a prisoner to the circumstances and came off as an equal to the other characters of Alien 3. In general, the idea to have the film take place in a prison setting I feel is an element worth praising.
- Fincher (in his film debut) did create some enjoyable sequences with a good rise in tension, and reasonable amount of action when called for. I also enjoyed some shots that were done as if the audience is looking through the alien's eyes. Fincher also used a minimal approach to showing the alien in the scenes, like in the original Alien. He let the music and the environment create the suspense.
- The film production and direction stayed true to the idea that the setting was a run-down prison, so there was no misplaced introduction of some futuristic gadgets to help the plot move along. In fact, quite contrary, there was a total lack of anything technological to assist the characters against the alien, and I appreciated this element.
- The ending was entirely appropriate and rose my overall impression about this film's beginning to end totality. To set it up: Ripley, about mid-way through the film discovers she was implanted with an alien, so as the movie progresses, it's almost like a "death sentence" for both her and all the remaining characters. In the last sequence, Ripley, knowing she is carrying a Queen alien embryo, throws herself in the metal works just as the newborn alien is bursting out of her chest. Very much an exclamation point ending to one of the most powerful female characters in all of science fiction at the time.
What went wrong:
- I will discuss the overall misdirection of the complete story/plot in another post. But, one of my first issues with Alien 3 was the decision the kill off Newt and Hicks to open the film. I felt this was complete disrespect to the whole second movie, and basically minimized the entire "struggle" for Ripley, Hicks and Newt to escape LV-426 and to have defeated the Queen Alien and her broad.
- As I noted above, there was no attempt to expand the Alien mythology in this movie. Other than the element of the "monster" coming out of a dog this time, there was nothing I could point to that really made this story stand apart from its predecessors.
- Where Aliens did not necessarily feel like a direct sequel to Alien because of its ability to stand on its own a great sci-fi/action movie, Alien 3 does almost feel like a bad horror movie sequel to Alien and Aliens. Yes, it's a different planet with different characters, but still the same overall problem. From the opening sequence, I had the "here we go again" feeling.
Final Thoughts:
I think time has rightfully been kind to Alien 3. This is one of the few movies in my life I actually went to see opening weekend in theater. My initial reaction at that time was one of dismay - I was upset that Hicks was killed before the movie even started, and I was basically stewing for the remainder of the film just looking for anything redeeming at that point. I thought, at that point, David Fincher should go back to directing Madonna videos and leave feature film making to others.
(Fortunately Fincher came back a few years later directing Se7en, and has since established himself as one of the great American directors of the last 20 years.)
I also felt that the Alien mythology and future stories could have died with Alien 3 because of the death of Ripley, and the very shaky story. Luckily in science fiction and horror, no one ever "really" dies, witnessed by the future installments in the Alien film family.
After re-watching Alien 3, I realized my initial hostility was quelled and I found that it has very entertaining elements. While Alien 3 could be the most polarizing installment in the Alien universe as far as criticisms ranging from "very good" to a "complete waste of time", I find it an enjoyable member of the Alien films collection.
Tidbits:
- Oddly, Fincher was nominated for a Saturn and Hugo award for this film
- There is an "Assembly Cut" of this film which has approximately 30 more minutes of footage, and does supposedly add more back story and depth. I have not seen this cut as of this writing.
- David Fincher directed, but essentially has disavowed this movie because of studio/producer interference. He was not involved with the editing, and feels what is on screen is not what he envisioned.
- Multiple directors and multiple writers were associated with this film and were either fired or quit before David Fincher came aboard.
Monday, February 24, 2014
RIP Harold Ramis
To the very talented writer, director, and actor that was part of some the best comedy movies I have ever enjoyed; Animal House, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, Vacation, Stripes, and Ghostbusters - to name just a few of the highlights.
The comedy genre will not be the same without him.
The comedy genre will not be the same without him.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Quick Look: PCU (1994)
People in the Movie: Chris Young, Jeremy Piven, David Spade
Director: Hart Bochner
Pigeonhole: Comedy
The Basics: Tom (Young) is a high school senior visiting Port Chester University for the weekend to decide if he wants to attend here in the fall. He meets some very interesting students highlighted by his slacker, weekend host nicknamed Droz (Piven), and a young "conservative" named Rand (Spade). Tom also finds out that the campus body is divided into extremely passionate "cause" groups and that being politically correct seems to be at the center of these causes. Droz and his friends reside in "the Pit", a former fraternity house, and spend their days antagonizing the cause-heads through various comical enterprises.
Tom, while initially tagging along with Droz, also manages to upset various groups around PCU including the Vegans, for helping to dump meat on their protest of the cafeteria for serving meat; the stoners, for stealing their frisbee; the Womynists (an angry feminsit group) for being associated with the Pit who are having a party (which they refer to as a penis party); a group of students working on their theses when he trips over the main-frame power supply; not to mention the conservatives and the Afro-centrists. Tom eventually leads them all back to the Pit, where an all campus party commences with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic (who ended up there by accident) are playing.
My Two Sense: PCU is a "college movie" that satirizes a glimpse of life on campus in the early/ mid 90's, much in the same way Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds gave us a comical look at university in the 70's and 80's respectively. Because I was in college from 1992-1996, this movie really hits on some of the flavors of the times for me, and watching PCU reminds me of the care-free hilarity I enjoyed. In fact, I was nicknamed Gutter for a stretch of time, due to some of my similarities to the character. PCU much like its predecessors takes its moments to a hilarious extreme to emphasize the absurdity of the situations, and succeeds for the most part. Anyone who attended college in the 90's likely had a PCU moment at some point, whether it be a protest, or having met one of the caricature-like cast.
Where I consider PCU slightly weak, was in its PG13 rating. There was drinking and some minimal drug use, but college is all about voting age adults acting like irresponsible children, complete with foul language, getting loaded, nudity and sex. PCU is a very good movie, but it is missing that "edge" that is achieved with R rated material. What is also a little strange is that it is only 79 minutes long, yet there are moments of slow down, which should not happen given all the possibilities for rapid fire comic moments.
Any movie that can have a protest to not protest, a party with George Clinton, and a scene with a group of women playing bongos and shouting "this penis party's got to go" is definitely going to be a favorite of mine.
Extras:
- The writers Adam Leff and Zak Penn based the film on their own experiences while attending Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT
- P-Funk was not the first choice of the band to play the party... Nirvana and Goo Goo Dolls were also considered
Director: Hart Bochner
Pigeonhole: Comedy
The Basics: Tom (Young) is a high school senior visiting Port Chester University for the weekend to decide if he wants to attend here in the fall. He meets some very interesting students highlighted by his slacker, weekend host nicknamed Droz (Piven), and a young "conservative" named Rand (Spade). Tom also finds out that the campus body is divided into extremely passionate "cause" groups and that being politically correct seems to be at the center of these causes. Droz and his friends reside in "the Pit", a former fraternity house, and spend their days antagonizing the cause-heads through various comical enterprises.
Tom, while initially tagging along with Droz, also manages to upset various groups around PCU including the Vegans, for helping to dump meat on their protest of the cafeteria for serving meat; the stoners, for stealing their frisbee; the Womynists (an angry feminsit group) for being associated with the Pit who are having a party (which they refer to as a penis party); a group of students working on their theses when he trips over the main-frame power supply; not to mention the conservatives and the Afro-centrists. Tom eventually leads them all back to the Pit, where an all campus party commences with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic (who ended up there by accident) are playing.
My Two Sense: PCU is a "college movie" that satirizes a glimpse of life on campus in the early/ mid 90's, much in the same way Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds gave us a comical look at university in the 70's and 80's respectively. Because I was in college from 1992-1996, this movie really hits on some of the flavors of the times for me, and watching PCU reminds me of the care-free hilarity I enjoyed. In fact, I was nicknamed Gutter for a stretch of time, due to some of my similarities to the character. PCU much like its predecessors takes its moments to a hilarious extreme to emphasize the absurdity of the situations, and succeeds for the most part. Anyone who attended college in the 90's likely had a PCU moment at some point, whether it be a protest, or having met one of the caricature-like cast.
Where I consider PCU slightly weak, was in its PG13 rating. There was drinking and some minimal drug use, but college is all about voting age adults acting like irresponsible children, complete with foul language, getting loaded, nudity and sex. PCU is a very good movie, but it is missing that "edge" that is achieved with R rated material. What is also a little strange is that it is only 79 minutes long, yet there are moments of slow down, which should not happen given all the possibilities for rapid fire comic moments.
Any movie that can have a protest to not protest, a party with George Clinton, and a scene with a group of women playing bongos and shouting "this penis party's got to go" is definitely going to be a favorite of mine.
Extras:
- The writers Adam Leff and Zak Penn based the film on their own experiences while attending Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT
- P-Funk was not the first choice of the band to play the party... Nirvana and Goo Goo Dolls were also considered
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Bob's Quick Look - Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
The fifth installment of the popular POV horror franchise breaks away from story arc of the previous four; focusing on a group of teenagers and their brush with occult forces.
Jesse’s future looks bright when he graduates high school and he and his friends take to video taping their final summer of freedom. But the murder of one of Jesse’s neighbors changes everything, as the murderer was a classmate of the trio of friends. Soon after, Jesse notices a supernatural presence in his life, as he seems to be empowered by an unseen force that communicates with him through the use of an Simon Says game. A summer of fun becomes a struggle for Jesse’s soul, which could cost the friends their very lives.
*Spoiler Alert* The setting of the franchise has now moved from the suburbs to lower-middle class Oxnard, California, with the main characters being urban youth rather than an upper-middle class family. But other than that, not much has changed. There is a supernatural presence invading the main characters’ environments, it means to do evil, it starts with bumps and noises and escalates through electronic communication to various forms of physical manifestations before main character succumbs to demon possession, all at the hands of a secret black magic coven. While this movie steers away from the “family” from the previous entries of the franchise, it may or may not be a part of the “larger story.”
Just like in the previous installments, the plot takes a little time to get going, but once the plot thickens, the pace quickens, with the scares becoming more and more “intense” the closer you get to the end. There are some decent low-budget effects here with the crawling on Jesse’s skin, the Simon Says communications, and the quick demon effects. The story of three friends trying to solve a mystery which turns into saving the soul of one of their own is pretty interesting, if not slightly cliché at this point. While this movie is entertaining, there is nothing “new” here to set it apart from any other POV title, which in and of itself, is beginning to become a little stale. Like the other Paranormal Activity films, this movie is best viewed in the theater, or on a good surround system to get the most of the film’s use of ambiance. If this film is part of a “larger picture,” then those who are invested in the series will want to catch it to get the next installment. But, the only real link to the rest of the story arc comes literally at the last minute. I would recommend this film to fans of POV horror, and as stated, those invested in the franchise to this point.
Jesse’s future looks bright when he graduates high school and he and his friends take to video taping their final summer of freedom. But the murder of one of Jesse’s neighbors changes everything, as the murderer was a classmate of the trio of friends. Soon after, Jesse notices a supernatural presence in his life, as he seems to be empowered by an unseen force that communicates with him through the use of an Simon Says game. A summer of fun becomes a struggle for Jesse’s soul, which could cost the friends their very lives.
*Spoiler Alert* The setting of the franchise has now moved from the suburbs to lower-middle class Oxnard, California, with the main characters being urban youth rather than an upper-middle class family. But other than that, not much has changed. There is a supernatural presence invading the main characters’ environments, it means to do evil, it starts with bumps and noises and escalates through electronic communication to various forms of physical manifestations before main character succumbs to demon possession, all at the hands of a secret black magic coven. While this movie steers away from the “family” from the previous entries of the franchise, it may or may not be a part of the “larger story.”
Just like in the previous installments, the plot takes a little time to get going, but once the plot thickens, the pace quickens, with the scares becoming more and more “intense” the closer you get to the end. There are some decent low-budget effects here with the crawling on Jesse’s skin, the Simon Says communications, and the quick demon effects. The story of three friends trying to solve a mystery which turns into saving the soul of one of their own is pretty interesting, if not slightly cliché at this point. While this movie is entertaining, there is nothing “new” here to set it apart from any other POV title, which in and of itself, is beginning to become a little stale. Like the other Paranormal Activity films, this movie is best viewed in the theater, or on a good surround system to get the most of the film’s use of ambiance. If this film is part of a “larger picture,” then those who are invested in the series will want to catch it to get the next installment. But, the only real link to the rest of the story arc comes literally at the last minute. I would recommend this film to fans of POV horror, and as stated, those invested in the franchise to this point.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Quick Look: A Hanuted House (2013)
People in the Movie: Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins
Director: Michael Tiddes
Pigeonhole: Spoof / Comedy
The Horror: A Haunted House was written by Marlon Wayans and Rick
Alvarez, and is a spoof (primarily) of the found-footage horror film Paranormal
Activity. Being a horror spoof and
because of Wayans’ involvement, the comparisons to Scary Movie were going to be
inevitable, and unfortunately this film does not measure up to its predecessor.
A Haunted House, like Paranormal
Activity, is presented as “found footage” style with the audience seeing the
bulk of the activity through the view of either a home video and/ or a mounted security-type
camera. Malcolm (Wayans) and Kisha
(Atkins), a couple, have decided to move in together. Strange things start to happen and while
Kisha believes there is a ghost responsible, Malcolm initially rejects the
idea. However, as the ghost’s activity
escalates, Kisha reveals she has previously made a deal with the Devil for a
pair of shoes. Soon it appears Kisha is
possessed by the evil spirit, so Malcolm calls in Father Doug (Cedric the
Entertainer) to perform an exorcism. Everything
appears to work out, with the ghost being exorcised, but then Kisha kills
Malcolm in the last shot of the film. Parodies
of The Devil Inside and The Exorcist are also worked in, with nods to several
other horror films, as well.
It Dies: Woven through the basic plot and patchwork of the 5-6
minute “sequences” is plenty of toilet humor, racial jokes, sexual/ homosexual
themes and one-liners. Some of the
moments worked, and came off as very entertaining, but where A Haunted House
fails overall, in my opinion, is that it used the gags and comedy to drive the
film, rather than letting the “serious” plot drive the film and then highlighting
each new “scary” situation with a comedic moment or bit. Instead, this movie comes off more like an
episode of In Living Color, where anticipation for the punch-line is holding
your attention more the action going on around it. In that regard, the “spoof” is lost.
Recommendation: You know what you are going to get with a film like
this; it’s really just matter of “how funny”, overall, it is going to be. As I noted earlier, A Haunted House has
several good moments that I could say make it worth seeing. The downside is that some of the not-so-funny
bits are the ones that seem to go on the longest, or show back up in a later
scene and remain unfunny. ‘R’ rating is
for language, sexual content and comical violence.
Review: Kuroneko (1968)
Kuroneko, also called ‘The Black Cat’ and ‘A Black Cat in a Bamboo Grove’, is a 1968 Japanese horror film that I recently watched. With many elements expressed – revenge, true love, honor, and the afterlife – Kuroneko is an interesting movie to check out. It is directed by Kaneto Shindo; it is not rated, but I would consider it like an ‘R’ for brief nudity, violence, and sexual situations. The language spoken is Japanese, and the presentation is in black and white.
**spoiler alert** Kuroneko is set in one of the feudal eras in Japan; we are not given an exact date, but reading further about the film, I learned it is supposed to be during the Heian Period which was from 794-1185 AD. A woman and her adult daughter are seen eating inside their run down hut near a bamboo grove. A group of barbaric looking soldiers come out of the forest, descend on the hut, rape and murder the women, then set the dwelling on fire. Later, in the ashes of this moment, we see the two women’s bodies being examined by a black cat.
Soon we see Shige (the daughter) out late in a town square where she meets a samurai on horseback. She asks him to see her home so she is not attacked by bandits. They proceed to her nice looking large house where she invites the samurai inside. Her mother appears from another room, and serves the man several drinks. The mother leaves the room and we see her initiate an eerie looking dance. Shige then begins to seduce the samurai, but just as quickly as the moment starts, we see Shige tear out his throat with her mouth. Several more samurai are lured by Shige, seduced, and killed in this manner.
Meanwhile we see young solider fighting in a battle; he kills the enemy leader. He decapitates the body and brings the head to the local governor named Raiko. The solider is made a samurai for his accomplishment. The new samurai, Gintoki, then heads to his home, only to find it burned down and his wife and mother missing. Raiko has also now been informed of the killings of the other samurai, so he dispatches Gintoki to investigate and destroy the monsters responsible.
Gintoki comes across Shige in the town square, and goes with her back to the house as the previous samurai had also done. However, Gintoki begins to comment to Shige and the mother that the two of them look exactly like his wife and mother, but three of them seem reluctant to acknowledge this fact. Rather than kill him, Shige instructs Gintoki to leave and come back the next night, which he does. At this point they both embrace the fact that they are husband and wife, now reunited. Each morning Gintoki leaves, and comes back at night to be with Shige. After 7 nights, Gintoki returns to the house and Shige is gone. He does not understand, and questions his mother, who then proceeds to explain that she and Shige were murdered. They prayed to the gods of the underworld to allow them to take their revenge. The two were permitted to live on earth by drinking the blood of the samurai they killed, however, Shige forsook her vows (killing samurai, including Gintoki) to have one week of love with Gintoki again, and she is now in hell, forever. Gintoki is overcome with grief, but reports back to Raiko that he has destroyed one of the two ghosts responsible for the killings. Raiko sends Gintoki back to destroy the remaining spirit. Gintoki confronts his mother, and cuts off one of her arms, but she later returns to retrieve it from him. The last scene of the movie we see Gintoki failing about helplessly on the floor of his former home, the burned out cottage while snow falls and covers his now dead body.
Let me start by noting that while the film is considered in the ‘horror’ genre, I think of it more like a supernatural thriller. There are a few shocking elements, but compared to what is on TV and in film today, it is extremely mild.
The pace of the movie is somewhat slow and not overly tense, but the director does an excellent job of masking the “horror” of these murderous spirits by having cast beautiful women. Further, Shige and mother also move through the scenes like delicate Japanese royalty, and, as I mentioned earlier just prior to each of the killings the mother is seen dancing gracefully. This dichotomy is something I truly appreciate about Kuroneko. Also, using the samurai, a symbol of honor in the history of Japan, as the protagonist, the antagonists, and victims, was masterful as far as the story-telling went.
You will not be scared watching Kuroneko, the Japanese horror film, but you will be intrigued by these characters as their fates play out, almost like a Greek tragedy. The visuals throughout, while simplistic, are quite beautiful, which is not something you will often hear associated with a “horror” film.
**spoiler alert** Kuroneko is set in one of the feudal eras in Japan; we are not given an exact date, but reading further about the film, I learned it is supposed to be during the Heian Period which was from 794-1185 AD. A woman and her adult daughter are seen eating inside their run down hut near a bamboo grove. A group of barbaric looking soldiers come out of the forest, descend on the hut, rape and murder the women, then set the dwelling on fire. Later, in the ashes of this moment, we see the two women’s bodies being examined by a black cat.
Soon we see Shige (the daughter) out late in a town square where she meets a samurai on horseback. She asks him to see her home so she is not attacked by bandits. They proceed to her nice looking large house where she invites the samurai inside. Her mother appears from another room, and serves the man several drinks. The mother leaves the room and we see her initiate an eerie looking dance. Shige then begins to seduce the samurai, but just as quickly as the moment starts, we see Shige tear out his throat with her mouth. Several more samurai are lured by Shige, seduced, and killed in this manner.
Meanwhile we see young solider fighting in a battle; he kills the enemy leader. He decapitates the body and brings the head to the local governor named Raiko. The solider is made a samurai for his accomplishment. The new samurai, Gintoki, then heads to his home, only to find it burned down and his wife and mother missing. Raiko has also now been informed of the killings of the other samurai, so he dispatches Gintoki to investigate and destroy the monsters responsible.
Gintoki comes across Shige in the town square, and goes with her back to the house as the previous samurai had also done. However, Gintoki begins to comment to Shige and the mother that the two of them look exactly like his wife and mother, but three of them seem reluctant to acknowledge this fact. Rather than kill him, Shige instructs Gintoki to leave and come back the next night, which he does. At this point they both embrace the fact that they are husband and wife, now reunited. Each morning Gintoki leaves, and comes back at night to be with Shige. After 7 nights, Gintoki returns to the house and Shige is gone. He does not understand, and questions his mother, who then proceeds to explain that she and Shige were murdered. They prayed to the gods of the underworld to allow them to take their revenge. The two were permitted to live on earth by drinking the blood of the samurai they killed, however, Shige forsook her vows (killing samurai, including Gintoki) to have one week of love with Gintoki again, and she is now in hell, forever. Gintoki is overcome with grief, but reports back to Raiko that he has destroyed one of the two ghosts responsible for the killings. Raiko sends Gintoki back to destroy the remaining spirit. Gintoki confronts his mother, and cuts off one of her arms, but she later returns to retrieve it from him. The last scene of the movie we see Gintoki failing about helplessly on the floor of his former home, the burned out cottage while snow falls and covers his now dead body.
Let me start by noting that while the film is considered in the ‘horror’ genre, I think of it more like a supernatural thriller. There are a few shocking elements, but compared to what is on TV and in film today, it is extremely mild.
The pace of the movie is somewhat slow and not overly tense, but the director does an excellent job of masking the “horror” of these murderous spirits by having cast beautiful women. Further, Shige and mother also move through the scenes like delicate Japanese royalty, and, as I mentioned earlier just prior to each of the killings the mother is seen dancing gracefully. This dichotomy is something I truly appreciate about Kuroneko. Also, using the samurai, a symbol of honor in the history of Japan, as the protagonist, the antagonists, and victims, was masterful as far as the story-telling went.
You will not be scared watching Kuroneko, the Japanese horror film, but you will be intrigued by these characters as their fates play out, almost like a Greek tragedy. The visuals throughout, while simplistic, are quite beautiful, which is not something you will often hear associated with a “horror” film.
Happy Thanksgiving
Maybe you like the parade, and the football games on Thanksgiving...
But if your day is not otherwise filled with these late November staples, look for an awesome movie to see.
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