Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Treevenge (2008)

Before the best movie of 2011 (in my opinion), Hobo With A Shotgun, a young Canadian director brought us the violent and hilarious short Treevenge.  This one made quite an impression at festivals with its unique point of view coming from that of everyone Christmas celebrating families holiday staple - the Christmas Tree.

I look at Treevenge as a statement towards the attitude of humanity.  We have a history of taking and taking and killing living things for our own gain.  Personally, I like trees.  I love forests and woodland areas, so when I watch Jason Eisener's critically acclaimed short, I root for the trees all the way.

Eisener, on the back of the hype of his trailer of Hobo With A Shotgun for Grindhouse, created somewhat of an internet buzz and many film fans were excited to see what he would churn out in future.  And not many were disappointed with Treevenge, as it was met with instant approval at film festivals around the world.  So without further ado, I present to you the amazing short by my new favorite director, Jason Eisener - Treevenge.  You'll think twice before hanging up your trees next Christmas.  Enjoy.

Chris R. Notarile's Fan Movies

I was wasting some time on Youtube a few months ago when I came across a short film called Escape From New Jersey made by a fan called Chris R. Notarile.  Now, as I'm a HUGE John Carpenter fan, and in particular a huge fan of both Escape From New York and Escape From LA, I just had to check it out, didn't I?  I wasn't expecting much from a fan made film paying homage to the Carpenter classics, I just assumed it would be some mindless fun (which it is), but it's much more than that.  It's a well made short that makes the most of its next to nothing budget.  Chris R. Notarile is a filmmaker I'd love to see make a feature.


Now don't go into this expecting a masterpiece.  It's low budget but that doesn't mean it's bad.  It's a fun homage to a classic movie, set after the events of Escape From New York.  Personally, that's a feature I'd watch as I believe Carpenter and Kurt need to make one more sequel and give us a trilogy.  You can tell Notarile really loves these movies and he's put a lot of effort into providing us with lighthearted entertainment.

Another great short by him is Krueger: A Tale From Elm Street.  It's a lot of fun, as are his other tribute shorts to other legendary horror icons, including my personal favorite - Maniac Cop.


I recommend you watch these and show support for an unknown with a lot of talent.  Each view is more recognition, and you'll have some laughs watching them.  I recommend you watch the shorts where Freddy is pursued by Pinhead who has recruited other horror icons to do his bidding.  I hope you enjoy them.  I just thought I'd share them and let you watch them for yourselves.

Monday, 2 January 2012

Dance of the Dead (2008)

Jimmy is a down on his luck class clown/pizza boy who's just been dumped by his girlfriend on the day of prom. To make matters worse she decides to go with the Class President/douchebag of the school.  On his way to the prom he gets a phone call from his boss saying he needs to work... like his night couldn't get any worse, right?  We also have a group of nerds who are members of the sci-fi club who couldn't get dates for prom in the first place so they decided to spend their night in the local cemetery. Then there's the rebellious garage punk rock band who refuse to go to prom because they're all anti-establishment, high and have a small case of the writer's block.  Could the night get any worse for anyone?  Well, that's where the zombies come in to put a further dampener on everyone's evening and it's up to Jimmy, the sci-fi club, the punks and a team of unlikely heroes, including a cheerleader and a psychopath who looks about 35 to save the day.

Horror/comedy gets mixed reaction from horror fans.  Movies like Shaun of The Dead have been great examples of how they can be both funny, yet stay true horror at the same time.  Then we have movies like Feast that just want us to have some bloody, gutsy fun.  Personally, I'm a huge fan of horror and comedy together, even if it focuses more on laughs than scares.  So if it's scares you're after then you won't find them in Dance of the Dead, as it's essentially a comedy with zombies thrown in the mix.  It's hilarious, and the dialogue is witty and fun.  The kills are a hoot as well (who knew that wrestling moves was an effective way to kill the undead?).  There's also zombie car theft and other weird and wonderful things going on.  It's understandable why this has become a movie with a strong cult following, and maybe in time it will become the cult classic it deserves to be.  I recommend it if you're a fun of goofball comedy horror like Todd & The Book of Pure Evil.  It's witty, it's funny, it has great kills, it has romance, it has car theft, it has wrestling and lots of other wonderful surprises.  Pick it up asap if you enjoy mindless fun.

Sunday, 1 January 2012

The Ti West Piracy Statement

http://www.glasseyepix.com/html/PiratesOfTheCaribbean.html

Above is a link to the statement made by Ti West pleading with fans not to pirate his new film The Innkeepers.  Now, I'm not going to be a hypocrite and act like I haven't watched a pirated movie before, but I am proud to say that I buy the majority of movies I watch, whether it be in cinemas or on a physical format.  The only movies I've ever pirated are the ones that have never had a physical release, or are so rare it's impossible to find one.  I don't enjoy doing it but sometimes it's the only option in order to see certain films.  But Ti West's new feature, like many other independent films, will be released and I for one will pay for it.

Ti West's plea really touched me.  Honestly my heart goes out to the guy because it seems piracy has really affected him.  He talks about how he never made a dime off House of the Devil, which really is a shame considering the huge success of the film.  Being a fan of Ti West and other indie filmmakers, I don't mind paying a mere £10 to watch a film if it's going to help them put food on the table.  I also don't mind paying it because, like Ti said, if we show support for these movies then it means that studios will put more faith in interesting movies, instead of the run-of-the-mill, predictable movies we see these days, whether it be remakes or just standard movies we've seen over and over again before.  When it comes to studios it's financial gain they focus on, which is understandable as at the end of the day it's a business.  But if we showed more financial support towards guys like Ti West then perhaps we'd see a new era of original and interesting horror films, as well as other genres because studios would have the faith to fully back them with better budgets.

As soon as The Innkeepers is in theaters I'll be going to see it.  If it doesn't make theaters then I'll be buying the DVD asap.  I don't have VOD here in Scotland so it looks like I have to wait a month or 2.  As tempting as it would be to pirate it (because I really want to see it more than anything), I'm going to resist and wait until it's released here in the UK.  I hope West's plea catches on and affects others because it would be strong for the future of genre cinema.  It broke my heart that Roger Avary's script for a Phantasm sequel was rejected because the cost was too high and the studios didn't have faith in it.  Maybe with more financial support then we'd get to see these types of films without studios needing much convincing.  We know there's a market for them, but unfortunately we live in a world where money talks and movies are no different.

I'm not trying to preach or anything, just giving my thoughts on the matter.

Happy New Year

Happy 2012 everyone.  The Rapture is upon us and the world is at its nigh, some of us are trying to repent so the Kingdom of Heaven will accept us, and some of us just think it's all make believe.  Personally, I'm just looking forward to all of the fantastic movies that are coming to theaters, straight to DVD and the dark bowels of the Internet waiting to be shit out and left to die.  There's a whole bunch of movies I'm looking forward to seeing so I'll get right to it.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter looks like tremendous fun.  I just love the idea of Abe Lincoln taking on the bloodsucking creatures of the night.  The trailer and the posters are incredible.  Also, it has a 70 million budget so hopefully it'll hit UK cinemas so I can go watch it on the big screen.

The Innkeepers is one I've been dying to see for a few a while now.  Ti West is one of the most exciting directors in all of film right now.  All of his films have been great (even Cabin Fever 2 which he takes nothing to do with).  Like many others, my mind was blown away by House of the Devil and I can't wait to see what he has in store with The Innkeepers.


Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters looks amazing.  This is how I always liked to imagine Hansel and Gretel would have turned out after their ill fated run in with that cannibalistic old hag who lived in house fitting for a pedophile.  Anyway, the plot makes it sound fantastic but to top it all off it stars the delicious Zoe Bell, who's not only super hot but she's also super bad ass.  I'd let her kick me in the face any day and I'd hit the deck with cartoon love hearts pouring out of my eyes and my teeth spewing out of my mouth.

Django Unchained I cannot wait for.  Quentin Tarantino is my all time favorite director.  QT has always had a knack for casting the coolest and greatest names but this one is a dream.  I'm not the biggest DiCaprio or Foxx fan, but they are talented and will do a great job, but the supporting cast is unbelievable.  Every single one of them and to sweeten the deal, RZA may sign up as well.  RZA is my musical hero.

While I'm on the topic of RZA, this year we'll see his debut feature film as a director with The Man With The Iron Fists.  RZA knows good kung fu and I have every faith he'll provide us with it in his movie.  It's also co-written by the opinion splitting Eli Roth.  Me, I love Eli Roth, so the fact that he's tied to this makes it even more exciting.  I just wish he'd hurry up with Thanksgiving and Endangered Species.  Hell, I'd even take the kids movie he said he wants to make one day with Tim Allen.  In fact, that should be his priority because it sounds fucking A.

The Dark Knight Rises is going to be fucking HUGE.  I love what Nolan has done to the Batman franchise.  The same goes for The Hobbit.  That's going to be massive as well and I think it looks ace.  I love LOTR and just like LOTR, this means I don't need to read the book.

The Funhouse 3D is a remake I support.  I'm not against remakes. I do wish there wasn't as many of them and more original movies got made, but some remakes have been very good.  The Funhouse was a fun movie with a great carnival setting and a great villain, but it has potential to be better.  The remake will be fun and violent.  I'm OK with that.

The ABC's of Death is going to be a hoot. With names like Jason Eisener attached it's a must see for me personally.

Prometheus does look good.  I like Ridley Scott and most of his movies have been truly epic and I suspect this will be no different.

Hit Somebody: Home I await with both excitement and angst, because if Kevin Smith is serious then this is his last movie.  As a movie though it looks great.  I love sports comedies and it's been too long since I watched a hockey comedy (Mighty Ducks is a classic).  Alan Rickman, John Goodman and the greatest actor alive today, Michael Parks are also rumored to be involved.  I really hope he sticks Jason Mewes and Jason Biggs somewhere in there as well.

American Reunion is a film I've literally been having dreams about for years.  I watched American Pie as a teenager and I could relate to it.  I feel a strong attachment to these characters and I'm just not ready to say goodbye to them yet.  I really hope they make movies every few years just to show what stages they're all at in their lives.  Really glad Oz is back on board for this one.

I want to see Tar because it has Bruce Campbell and Zach Braff.  It also has the lovely Mila Kunis.  I'd smash that like an Idaho potato like Mos Def would say.

Have you seen the trailer for The Devil Inside?  It's COOL.  It definitely sold me and I'll be going to see this one asap.  I've been appreciating exorcism movies a lot more in the past year.  I'd always liked them but now I love them.  This looks like it could be one of the better ones.

Zombie Ass looks ridiculous and in the same vein as RoboGeisha and Tokyo Gore Police.  It's going to be splatty, OTT and inappropriate.  I can't wait.  J-Splat is a twisted but endearing genre.

The Woman In Black sounds like The Wicker Man but I still want to see it.  I love a good horror mystery.  Plus it has Daniel Radcliffe - not Harry Potter.  He's a really good actor and it's a shame people will probably only ever think of him as Harry.  Don't get me wrong, I love Harry Potter.  I actually adore it, but I want to see Daniel branch out.

I can't wait for Ghostrider: Spirit f Vengeance.  I loved the first one and I completely welcome a series.  I really hope they do another sequel set in the Old West.

The Shrine is the latest film from director of the amazing Jack Brooks Monster Slayer.  It's available here in the UK early 2012 and I can't wait to see it.  It looks completely different from Jack Brooks Monster Slayer and it should hopefully help Knautz establish himself.

Piranha 3DD looks like mindless fun.  The first one was great and even better than the original.  Blood,, babes and mutated fish with teeth.  Sounds good to me.

The Lords of Salem finally arrives this year.  I've enjoyed all of Rob Zombie's movies to date and I think this is his best idea yet, with the exception of the yet to be made Tyrannosaurus Rex.  The main reason I want to see this is for Udo Kier.  I like a good witch movie as well, but I haven't seen enough great ones.

Tim Burton is hit or miss for me, but I really want to see Dark Shadows.  I haven't seen the original series but it looks awesome.  I also think the movie looks awesome and hopefully it'll do well and the original show will get a re-run for us young 'uns to check out.

I'll conclude it here because I could go on forever.  There's so much blockbusters I want to see and there's a tonne of low budget horror I want to see, and there's surely going to be more discovered.  I'll review them as I see them folks and hopefully you'll enjoy them or discover something new.  What movies are you all looking forward to?

The Stolen Wings



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lGtg8qRkPQ

I'm not a filmmaker, but it's safe to assume that short films are essential to have on a CV for up and coming directors.  They're a great way to learn the art of film making for the filmmaker and the offer a few minutes of entertainment for the fan.  You don't always need a full feature to get your message across, and you definitely don't need one to entertain.  Up and coming Irish director Gerard Lough has made 5 shorts,, and they've all been amazing.  The above link is the full short for The Stolen Wings, and I strongly recommend you take 4 minutes 34 seconds of your time and watch it and if you like it then go on and watch all of his stuff, because quite frankly, he's amazing.  The Stolen Wings took 11 months to make and it's definitely paid off.

Surely it's only a matter of time before he gets the budget to make a full feature, and when he does I'll be the first to see it.  I really hope he continues down the path of making imaginative horror and fantasy.  In under 5 minutes, he manages to tell such unique stories.

Space Truckers (1996)


Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) is a wonderful director who makes wonderful movies.  Re-Animator is a horror classic held in the highest regard by the majority of horror fans.  However, since then he's went on to make a host of underrated gems.  He has always been a consistent director, as well as diverse with movies and TV shows ranging from horror (Re-Animator) to sci-fi (Space Truckers) to family comedy (Honey I Shrunk The Kids) to black comedy (Stuck) to thriller (Edmond).  He's also produced some lesser known gems that aren't often discussed such as King of The Ants and Fortress.  And who could forget the classic From Beyond?

The reason I'm telling you about Stuart Gordon movies instead of purely focusing on Space Truckers is because he's made so much great movies.  He's always been ambitious and has delivered interesting concepts on an often limited budget.  He is honestly one of the true masters of horror, but he's more diverse than that.  Critics have panned him more often than not, but within the realms of horror he's somewhat of a cult hero along with his friend - and sometimes collaborator, Brian Yuzna (a great director in his own right).  I urge you to watch the filmography of them both.  I plan on reviewing all of their work eventually and I look forward to re-watching the films I've seen and exploring the ones I haven't.  There's still a couple out there by both of them I haven't been able to acquire yet.  Now, on to Space Truckers...

The brilliant cast of the ever so great Dennis Hopper, along with the cool Stephen Dorff and the weirdly attractive Debi Mazar deliver fun performances as two independent transporters of shipment and a waitress who have been hired to deliver an unknown containment to Earth.  It's a long dangerous journey through space though and our gang of heroes have to tackle some unlikely obstacles on their way.  These obstacles include the law, ship malfunctions (or should I say space truck?), crooks (led by the show stealing Charles Dance as a self-rebuilt, half metal and extremely horny space pirate with a grudge), killer robots and the biggest obstacle of all - 2 guys in love with the same half naked chick.

Don't go into this one expecting a serious sci-fi because you'll be disappointed.  However, if you want an action packed thrill ride that delivers action, laughs and explosions, along with killer robots then pick this one up.  It's one that you can watch over and over again, as it invokes childhood-like space fantasies along with enough sex jokes to keep the inner teen alive and for the adult... well I dunno.  I feel like a big kid watching this one.  And that's partly why I love it.  There's also enough goofs to keep the critics focused, for example, all the gravity defiance for a start.  It only adds to the charm though.  It's in no way a bad movie though, and it doesn't fall into the category of 'so bad it's good.'  It makes the most of its limited budget and it looks visually sweet.  I'd also recommend it if you're a fan of Spaceballs, but it's not as goofy as Spaceballs.  Not many movies are really.

It's a shame that this film was the victim of production difficulties.  It never found a distributor to release it to theaters in several countries from what I understand.  It's the ultimate popcorn flick and it would have been wonderful to see on the big screen.  But at least we have the DVD, the luxury of television and the ability to make popcorn if we choose to, hell, we can BUY popcorn from any good supermarket or late night petrol garage.  So grab some snacks, sit back and prepare for a high octane, cheesy thrill ride, equipped with laughs o' plenty and lots of fire, robot erections and bewb cleavage from the starlet and even a little from Dennis Hopper (but his is through the t-shirt.  Sorry ladies).