Today, the nominations for the 4th annual Scream Awards presented by Spike TV were announced. “Scream 2009,” the first and only global event of its kind to honor the best in sci-fi, fantasy, horror and comic genres. This years nominee's are:
THE ULTIMATE SCREAM
Drag Me to Hell Let the Right One In Star Trek Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Twilight Up
BEST FANTASY MOVIE
Coraline Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Twilight Up Watchmen X-Men Origins: Wolverine
BEST HORROR MOVIE
Dead Snow Drag Me to Hell Friday the 13th Let the Right One In My Bloody Valentine 3D Splinter
BEST SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE
Knowing Moon Outlander Star Trek Terminator Salvation Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
BEST ACTOR IN A FANTASY MOVIE OR TV SHOW Ed Asner- Up Hugh Jackman- X-Men Origins: Wolverine Robert Pattinson- Twilight Brad Pitt- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Daniel Radcliffe- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Michael Sheen - Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
BEST ACTOR IN A HORROR MOVIE OR TV SHOW
Bruce Campbell- My Name is Bruce Michael C. Hall- Dexter Kåre Hedebrant- Let the Right One In Justin Long- Drag Me to Hell Ryan Kwanten- True Blood Stephen Moyer- True Blood
BEST ACTRESS IN A HORROR MOVIE OR TV SHOW
Jennifer Carpenter- Quarantine Jaime King- My Bloody Valentine 3D Lina Leandersson- Let the Right One In Alison Lohman- Drag Me to Hell Anna Paquin- True Blood Monica Potter- The Last House on the Left
BEST ACTRESS IN A FANTASY MOVIE OR TV SHOW
Scarlett Johansson- The Spirit Jaime King- The Spirit Rhona Mitra- Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Kristen Stewart- Twilight Emma Watson- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
BEST COMIC BOOK
Green Lantern Hack/Slash Kick-Ass Thor The Walking Dead Wolverine: Old Man Logan
BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
Dragonball Evolution Punisher: War Zone The Spirit Watchmen X-Men Origins: Wolverine
BEST DIRECTOR
J.J. Abrams- Star Trek Tomas Alfredson- Let the Right One In Michael Bay- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Pete Doctor &- Bob Peterson- Up Duncan Jones- Moon Sam Raimi- Drag Me to Hell
BEST VILLAIN
Eric Bana as Nero “Star Trek” Cam Gigandet as James “Twilight” Lorna Raver as Mrs. Ganush "Drag Me to Hell” Liev Schrieber as Victor Creed/Sabretooth “X-Men Origins: Wolverine" Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Northman “True Blood”
THE HOLY SHIT! SCENE OF THE YEAR
The Death Eaters Attack London “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” The Destruction of Manhattan “Watchmen” Space Dive onto Orbital Drill “Star Trek” The Séance “Drag Me to Hell" The Subway Crash “Knowing” The Swimming Pool Scene “Let the Right One In”
MOST MEMORABLE MUTILATION
The Arm Removal Surgery “Splinter” Arms Cut Off by Rotary Saw “Watchmen” The Eyeball Cake “Drag Me to Hell” Head Ripped Apart by Nazi Zombies “Dead Snow” The Pendulum "Saw V" The Swimming Pool Scene; “Let the Right One In”
BEST ACTOR IN A SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE OR TV SHOW
Nicolas Cage- Knowing Josh Holloway- Lost Shia LaBeouf- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Chris Pine- Star Trek Zachary Quinto- Star Trek Sam Rockwell- Moon
BEST ACTRESS IN A SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE OR TV SHOW
Moon Bloodgood- Terminator Salvation Eliza Dushku- dollhouse Megan Fox- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Lena Headey- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Katee Sackhoff- Battlestar Galactica Zoe Saldana- Star Trek
The show will be taped at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday October 17th and will air on Spike TV on Tuesday October 27th at 10pm.
Welcome to the 198th Edition. It is hard to believe how close I am to the 200th Edition. I have one selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection and next week will have none. I am going to start to talk on the special features of dvds and maybe choose one movie a week to watch with commentary if available. With the car trouble I have had this week, I still turn out another blog so get your netflix and blockbuster queues and read on.
Three Faces West (1940): I open this week with John Wayne. He plays a farmer named John Phillips who lead the the townsfolk to better pastures in Oregon. Charles Coburn plays a surgeon named Dr. Karl Braun who is a refugee who comes to the U.S. with his daughter Leni, played by Sigrid Gurie. Not one of Wayne's best but it was pretty entertaining with a different type of character for Wayne in my opinion.
Angry Harvest (1985): This is my German film for the week. Armin Mueller-Stahl stars as Leon, a catholic farmer who takes in a sick woman who he learns is a holocaust survivor and a Jew named Rosa, played very well by Elisabeth Trissenaar. Leon slowly falls in love with Rosa but knows he must keep his hiding from her secret from everyone. It is a great story of love and morality and still hard to believe that two religions really can't co-exist. There is an interesting argument between Leon and Rosa on their two different religions. There is not much else to say here except that we have a great foreign film here that looks at the hardships of the holocaust.
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992): This is my tribute for the week to Blake Snyder who helped write the screen play. I must say that this is my guilty pleasure for the week which stars Sylvester Stallone as a cop named Joe who feels content in his bachelorhood but his life is turned upside-down when his mom Tutti, played by Estelle Getty, visits him meddling in his life and career. Things change when she witnesses a murder and must team up with her son. It is a different buddy movie showing the son and mom together to take down some criminals. Look for Ving Rhames in an early role. While rather absurd, it had some pretty funny moments. DVD shows an alternate ending and a featurette of the making of the movie.
Find Me Guilty (2006): This is a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose the Unofficial Vin Diesel Fan Club so I chose this Vin Diesel movie here. Vin plays the real-life Jackie DiNorscio, who decided to defend himself in a trial of many members of the Lucchese family instead of ratting them out. This is known as the longest trial of all time lasting around two years. Jackie turns the courtroom upside-down with his lack of trial experience but making the jury laugh a lot and angering the judge just as much. Sidney Lumet directed this comedic movie and using the testimony from the court transcripts to make this as authentic as possible. I feel Vin Diesel had his best performance and showing he does not always have to beat people up all the time. Linus Roache plays the dedicated prosecutor Sean Kierney who did not know how to handle Jackie. Other people include Ron Silver, Annabella Sciorra, Peter Dinklage, and many others. DVD contains an interview with Sidney Lumet but doesn't show much in-depth interview footage as there seemed to be.
Cross Country Detours (1940): This is my animated short for the week which came from the DVD of VIRGINIA CITY that I featured last week. This is an animated film that shows life at national parks that show various animals and people. One interesting part was showing how a lizard sheds her skin. It is a pretty good 10 minutes with bobcats, birds, a park ranger, and even a Gila monster.
The Valley of Light (2007): This is a pretty well-received tv movie which stars Chris Klein as Noah, a WW2 veteran and drifter who comes into a small town. He immediately shows off his fishing skills while also befriending a mute boy who does not seem to have parents and a widowed woman, played by Gretchen Mol. I really can't describe much to you except to say that it is a great movie about relationships and life. I think this is the best performance from Klein, though I haven't seen him in much. I found this on the Hallmark channel which I don't usually use but I saw good things on this and thought I should check it out. The best part is seeing him with the young mute boy, played by Zach Mills.
Long Way Home (1975): This is actually the pilot episode to the brief tv series THE FAMILY HOLVAK. Glenn Ford stars as Reverent Tom Holvak, whose son brings in an escaped convict which Tom does not know. A young David Carradine plays that convict named Craw who is hiding out but helps the family a lot. I actually found this one on the Trinity Broadcasting Network and I don't usually do two tv movies in one week, I sure found myself doing it this week. Carradine was great in this one as was Glenn Ford in his later role. This is my long overdue tribute to David Carradine and this will unfortunately remain very underrated but I hope I can expose it a little bit.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971): This is my Disney movie for the week that combines live action and animation. Angela Lansbury stars as Miss Price who is a witch's apprentice who is sent to take care of three children and puts a spell on the bed and takes the children with her to meet her professor named Emelius, played by David Tomlinson. Emelius reveals the rest of the words to bring inanimate objects to life which help the WW2 effort that this movie takes place in. Roddy McDowell has a little appearance as Mr. Jelk. This movie has a lot of unfortunate comparisons to MARY POPPINS which show similarity but it still stands on its own with Lansbury being great as the bumbling witch Miss Price who continues to learn through the movie. It also has a great animation sequence where they enter. Some may even consider this satanic with the witchcraft but if you look past all these things, this movie can absolutely be enjoyed.
Intermission (2003): I found this one on IFC, probably my most used channel besides TCM. This is a good Irish film which have a few intersecting stories of petty criminals, publicity hungry cops, and many others. Colin Farrell plays a thief in this movie who puts together a rather botched robbery. STAR TREK alum Colm Meaney is good as the cop who is enjoying the reality show filmed on him. Cillian Murphy also stars as part of the team of robbers. This was a pretty funny and entertaining film, it does not really rank high for me but I'm glad I watched it.
Wuthering Heights (1939): William Wyler directed this adaptation to the Emily Bronte literary classic which has been made many times into movies but not better than this one. Merle Oberon plays Cathy and Laurence Olivier plays Heathcliff. They are childhood friends and even lovers but her high-class status and Heathcliff's lower status come between them and Cathy marries a rich man named Edgar, played by David Niven. Heathcliff leaves town but returns years later very rich but still doomed in his relationship. The beginning was great with the story being told about their relationship with the actors all doing a great job. This came out the same year as GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ and at the time was just as popular as the classics. Oberon and Olivier worked well together even though they apparently did not like one another.
Well, that is it for this week, tell me what you love and what you hate. Stay tuned for next week which will include Bernardo Bertolucci, Drew Barrymore, and Marilyn Monroe.
“Nazis, I hate these guys!” -Harrison Ford from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”
“You know somethin', Utivich? I think this might just be my masterpiece.” -Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine
Could this truly be Tarantino’s masterpiece? Hard to say, but it is indeed his most ambitious movie to date. “Inglourious Basterds” is another brilliant love letter to all things cinema from Quentin Tarantino, and it ends this rather crappy summer of movies on a high note. With this film, Tarantino has created his own version of World War II and has given it the ending many of us would have preferred to have seen. It is also his tribute to movies like “The Dirty Dozen” and other war movies of its ilk. It is not a remake of the film of the same name, but it has the same title of it out of respect.
“Inglourious Basterds” is told in a series of chapters, and it features several different threads of story that eventually intersect at the film’s fiery climax. We meet our chief Nazi villain, Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) as he questions a family as to whether or not they are hiding any Jews, but we soon realize that he is asking questions he already knows the answers to. Then we are introduced to the Basterds themselves, and they are lead by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) who announces that they are being dropped into Nazi occupied France to do one thing and one thing only, killing Nazis. Not only that, they plan to take souvenirs to show Germany they mean business. Then we meet Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent), the only Jew to escape Col. Landa’s deadly grasp, who has found a safe hiding place as the owner of a German cinema which will soon host the most powerful members of the Nazi party for a film opening gala. Little do they know of the act of brutal vengeance which will eventually greet them…
At a running time of 153 minutes, “Inglourious Basterds” is one of those rare movies that really takes its time. There’s no big rush to get from one big action set piece to the next which has been the case with just every movie that gets released in the summer. Even while The Weinstein Company had to work with Universal Pictures to get this film, Tarantino still gets full creative control which is a blessing for those of us who love his films. We also get the great dialogue we have come to expect from Mr. Tarantino, and there are moments where words speak louder than actions. There are many verbal duels between characters as each one tries to outdo the other, and what is implied by them ends up generating an amazing amount of tension.
Tarantino also retains his keen eye for casting, and he has said that one of the actors he chose had in fact given him back his movie. That actor would be Christoph Waltz who plays the intelligent but deadly Col. Hans Landa. Christoph won the Best Actor award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and the way I see it, they should just hand him the damn Oscar come next March. Brilliant almost seems too subtle a description to describe his performance. His role is an extremely difficult one to pull off because he has to come off a certain way while allowing us to see in his eyes what he already knows. Christoph comes off with simple gestures that has us unnerved, and a key moment where he deals with another one of the main characters is great cat and mouse moment where he is trying to figure out the person he sees before him while she tries to remain calm and hide who she really is. Waltz’s opening scene with the French farmer is remarkable in how he psychologically tears him down to where he finally reveals what Landa already knows.
I’m not sure if I have seen Christoph Waltz in any other movies before, but I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future. Seriously, his character is to “Inglourious Basterds” what Heath Ledger’s Joker was to last year’s “The Dark Knight.”
Then we have Brad Pitt who I am glad to see get down and dirty after being all cute and cuddly in the very good but somewhat overrated “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” As Lt. Aldo Raine, he starts off by giving a speech to his men that makes him come off like George C. Scott in “Patton.” It is clear from the start that Pitt is having a ball playing this character and saying the dialogue Tarantino has written. Brad looks like he managed to save some of the manic energy from “Burn After Reading” for this role, and while his performance comes close to caricature at times, he has rooting for him throughout as he manages to outsmart the devious Nazi’s.
Quentin also continues to prove great at writing strong roles for women. Mélanie Laurent does great work here as Shosanna Dreyfus, the Jewish woman who is the only survivor of one of Landa’s murderous rampages. Throughout the movie, she goes from playing it cool around the Nazis to being terrified as she comes under close examination from them. She has managed to maintain her cover as a German while running her own cinema, and she also has to fend off the advances of Pvt Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Brühl) who is something of a pop star in the Nazi party when he meets her. She also has a strong relationship with her boyfriend projectionist Marcel (Jacky Ido) which allows her to show compassion she would otherwise have to keep hidden from the prying eyes of those out to eliminate the Jews. Mélanie gets to portray many different facets of her character throughout the movie’s running time, and her performance is every bit as memorable to me as was Christoph Waltz’s.
I also got a big kick out of Diane Kruger’s highly entertaining performance as film star Bridget von Hammersmark, a Marlene Dietrich of sorts. She is a wonderful performance as she goes from an outgoing actress who always seems to enjoy the company of others to a tough woman who shares in the Basterds passion of doing in the Nazis, most especially Hitler. Best known for her work in “National Treasure” and “Troy” among other movies, she really comes into her own here and gives a performance unlike any she has previously given.
“Inglourious Basterds” has a great cast overall with other memorable turns from actors like Michael Fassbender as a British spy posing as a German officer and from Sylvester Groth as the irrepressibly snooty Joseph Goebbels. It’s also a hoot to see Mike Meyers here in a “guest starring” role as a British general, and it almost fully makes up for the mess he inflicted on us last summer with “The Love Guru.” Eli Roth, the “torture porn” director of movies like “Hostel” is also on board as Sgt. Donny Donowitz, aka “The Bear Jew.” Although this role was originally intended for Adam Sandler who had to decline because he was making “Funny People,” it almost makes sense that the “Hostel” director would play a soldier who beats Nazis to death with a baseball bat.
Many of Tarantino’s favorite movie devices are on display here like the “Mexican standoff” and all the talk about movies. But here, they feel much more fresh and exhilarating to watch in the way they are portrayed. The scene in the German bar where one Nazi soldier is celebrating the birth of his son may seem almost too long, but Quentin builds the scene to a fever pitch of tension as everyone has their gun on the other, and you watch in terrifying anticipation of who will shoot first. With the character of Shosanna, Quentin takes the time to express his love of foreign cinema. In his other movies, especially the “Death Proof” portion of “Grindhouse,” he mostly speaks of his affection for American movies and pop culture, but his love of cinema certainly does not stop there.
Quentin also gives us another one of his great soundtracks that is a collection of film scores from other movies, and songs that capture the essence of the characters to the letter. Interestingly enough, much of the music is not of the WWII period, and Tarantino even uses David Bowie’s theme song from Paul Schrader’s 1980’s remake of “Cat People” to perfectly capture Shosanna in her final preparations for revenge. As with the “Kill Bill” movies, he makes effective use of the film scores of Ennio Morricone who remains a big influence on his own work. It didn’t take me long after seeing the movie to buy the soundtrack (I wish it was on sale though).
Many will complain of how inaccurate this film is to the historical facts of Hitler and WWII, but they are just wasting their own time. We should all know by the time we head into the theater that Tarantino is not out to be anymore historically accurate than Michael Mann was with “Public Enemies.” Every once in a while, you need a movie that breaks the rules, and it is such infectious fun to see “Inglourious Basterds” break down the normal conventions of how a WWII is made. So many of them over the past couple of years tend to be depressing affairs over the humanity lost, but Quentin is out to do the exact opposite of that. His WWII movie is a fantastic genre movie that borrows from many movies and Quentin is still genius at taking elements from them all and making them all his own.
2009 has been a bad year for movies so far, but “Inglourious Basterds” is one of the best of the year and is yet another cinematic triumph for Quentin Tarantino that shows he is no one trick pony. I just hope we don’t have to wait another six years for his next one.
Greg Lamberson is a multi-talented writer and director of such cult classics, “Slime City”, “Undying Love” and “Naked Fear”. Beside writing and directing for the screen, Lamberson is also an accomplished author. He’s written three books “Johnny Gruesome”, “Cheap Scares !”, and “Personal Demons” and he’s also the founder of Fearzone.com. Today, he is here to talk about “Slime City”, which was re-released as part of the “Slime City Grindhouse Collection” from Shock-O-Rama and the upcoming “Slime City Massacre”.
Anthony T: Tell me about yourself and how you got into directing?
Greg Lamberson: I've lived in New York State all my life: grew up in a small town called Fredonia, and moved to NYC when I was 17 to study filmmaking at the School of Visual Arts, where Roy Frumkes one of my teachers and Jimmy Muro, who had worked as a PA on BASKET CASE, was a classmate. Roy and Jimmy later teamed up to make STREET TRASH, and I teamed up with another classmate, Peter Clark, and a third producer, Marc Makowski (who's been a producer on all of my films) to make SLIME CITY.
Anthony T: One of the things that I noticed in your bio, is that you also wrote three books, besides being a filmmaker, “Johnny Gruesome” “Cheap Scares” and “Personal Demons”, which is being re-released in October. What got you into writing, in both the literary and screenwriting fields?
Greg: I'm a storyteller, regardless of the medium. I wrote the screenplays for all of my films, and I wrote several other screenplays that I thought would make good big budget movies. I'm an East Coast filmmaker, so I've never had any desire to move to L.A. and beat those paths. When I moved back to the Buffalo area several years ago, it was with a plan: to concentrate on writing novels based on my unproduced screenplays. PERSONAL DEMONS was my first endeavor, and it's the best thing I've done. It was published as a limited edition hardcover and as a small press trade paperback that received glowing reviews, but the publishing industry didn't come pounding on my door any more than Hollywood did. I wrote a second novel, JOHNNY GRUESOME, and that was also published as a limited edition hardcover. But Medallion Press also acquired it as a mass market trade paperback available in brick and mortar stores, and they picked up PERSONAL DEMONS, which will be published as a regular paperback October 1st. Working with Medallion has been great; they've really supported and promoted me and my work. This weekend, I'll be their sole author guest at Rue Morgue's Festival of Fear, where they're giving away free "ash cans," limited edition mini-books with the first three chapters of PERSONAL DEMONS. They're also publishing my werewolf novel, THE FRENZY WAY, in June next year, and DESPERATE SOULS, the sequel to PERSONAL DEMONS, after that. The idea is to create a long running series of PD novels under the umbrella title, "The Jake Helman Files."
Anthony T: “Slime City” is one of Greg Lamberson’s four films to be featured in the “Slime City Grindhouse Collection”, which was released recently from Shock-O-Rama. Tell my readers about this film.
Greg: I wrote SLIME CITY when I was 19, directed it when I was 21, and finished it when I was 23. It played as a midnight movie in NYC in 1988, and came out on VHS a year later. We sold it to about 10 countries around the world, and then the bottom fell out of the straight-to-video horror market, which had become glutted, and faded into obscurity. 10 years later, E.I. Cinema re-released it on VHS, and in 2005 they released it on DVD for the first time. Last month they re-released it as GREG LAMBERSON'S SLIME CITY GRINDHOUSE COLLECTION, featuring my other films and more extras than I can list. It's a great package, really worth the money, and I'm grateful to the E.I./POP Cinema/Alternative Cinema/Shock-O-Rama people for keeping my work available to the fans.
Anthony T: How did the concept of “Slime City” come about?
Greg: More than anything, SLIME CITY was the reaction of a small town kid moving to the big city. The SVA dorm was on 34th Street, near 42nd Street. We encountered cultists, drug dealers and hookers every day, including at the diner where we ate breakfast, and I worked at a bunch of movie theatres, including real grindhouses. This was the NYC I knew - it was a lousy place to visit, but a great place to live.
Anthony T: The film came out, around the same time period as such splatter classics “Basket Case” and “The Toxic Avenger”. What films inspired this entertaining and slimy gorefest?
Greg: BASKET CASE was playing as a midnight movie when I moved to the city, and a bunch of us use to watch it regularly, so that was definitely an influence whether I realized it at the time or not. The script was already written, and Scott Coulter and Tom Lauten already hired, when THE TOXIC AVENGER came out, so none of the Troma films were influences. I managed a theatre that premiered THE EVIL DEAD and THE DEADLY SPAWN, so those were influences: 16m horror films made by fans that received theatrical releases. SLIME CITY is often compared to STREET TRASH, which cost 40 times as much, but that wasn't an influence either. SLIME CITY was based on a short Super 8 film I made called "Bad Worms" my first year of film school, and I wrote the first draft of the feature script that summer, before Jimmy had even shot the short film version of STREET TRASH. Roy and I took a night class in production management at the same time, so he could learn how to produce TRASH and I could learn how to produce SLIME; they were supposed to shoot the same summer, but my financing fell through and his didn't. I guess I should have finished that class!
Anthony T: What were the differences in raising funds for this film compared to the film’s upcoming sequel, “Slime City Massacre”?
Greg: Even though it took a year longer than expected for me to raise the money for SLIME CITY, it came together pretty quickly, partly because Peter, Marc and I put in half the money ourselves; friends and family put in the rest that we raised. But we still ran out of money, so we went to a foreign sales rep who advanced the rest of what we needed. It's much harder to raise money these days - in this economy it's next to impossible - but it was still pretty easy for me, strange to say. John Maclay, my executive producer, and Marc Makowski, producing again, committed to half the budget right away. Look, it's 23 years later, and although none of my films were big earners, I've stuck to it because I love doing this. I wrote a filmmaking book called CHEAP SCARES! LOW BUDGET HORROR FILMMAKERS SHARE THEIR SECRETS, which got great reviews and convinced a lot of my other investors that I finally know what I'm doing!
Anthony T: What were the difficulties and pitfalls that you experienced, while filming this?
Greg: The same pitfalls as one every film I've ever made - never enough time or money. Shooting the original SLIME was the greatest experience I've ever had - until I shot SLIME CITY MASSACRE.
Anthony T: One of things that this film has, is that the fact that the two female leads are both played very well by one person, Mary Huner. Tell me how did that situation come about?
This came about out of necessity. I just couldn't find anyone to play Nicole, the bad girl, and I enjoyed working with Mary, as the good girl, so much that I asked her to don that wig and step up to the plate. I think Mary is even better in SLIME CITY MASSACRE, where she plays sort of an obsessed action heroine - an Omega Woman for the 21st century.
Anthony T: Did you ever think that you’d still be talking about this film to this day, when made the in the middle part of the eighties?
Greg: Before I made it, yes! I thought it was going to be the shit! But after seeing it on VHS... no. The film was intended to be blown up from 16m into 35mm, which would have cropped our full frame image to look letterboxed. We framed it that way, but the blowup never happened. On VHS, it looked terrible and I couldn't watch it for many years. Thank God POP Cinema believed in the film enough to release it on DVD, and allowed me to supervise the telecine. I consider it very watchable, and very funny, now. No masterpiece, but there must be some reason why it's still around when other films from that period aren't, right?
After the 2005 DVD release, I thought that was it. Last year was the 20th anniversary, and I screened it at a bunch of film festivals and horror conventions with cast members, and I told Robert Sabin, the star, and Mary, "Okay, let's have a last round of fun with this, then put it away for good." Little did I know that POP had other plans! So here it is again, being discovered by another bunch of young horror fans who dig obscure flicks from the 80s.
Anthony T: “Slime City” is just one of four films that are apart of this collection. Tell my readers about the other three films that are apart of this collection?
Greg: UNDYING LOVE is a downbeat vampire flick, ala MARTIN and Larry Fessenden's HABIT. It also played as a midnight film, received much better reviews than SLIME... and sat on a shelf for five or six years until E.I. released it on VHS as NEW YORK VAMPIRE. It's my favorite of these three films, but it's dark and moody, with a real "indie" attitude, and doesn't have the outrageous gore of SLIME. Still, anyone who likes any of my stuff should check this out, because of all of my earlier work, it's the closest to what I'd like to do with horror if given the chance. I like angry characters with in-your-face attitudes, and nihilistic endings.
NAKED FEAR is a thriller, not supernatural horror, and it pits Robert Sabin against Tommy Sweeney, the start of UNDYING LOVE. We shot this one on Hi 8 during the period when everyone though Hi 8 was going to be a revolutionary format. By the time we finished it 4 years later (for a variety of reasons) Mini-DV had become that format. I like the film - the screenplay, the direction, the acting - but Hi 8 is what Hi 8 is, and this is even further from SLIME than UNDYING LOVE was. I'm proud that all three films offer my take on NYC, and I like that different people prefer different flicks over the others - each one has its supporters and detractors. At least I didn't do the same thing over and over.
The fourth film on the set is a short, not a feature: GRUESOME, an extended music video based on my novel JOHNNY GRUESOME. It features three songs from the GRUESOME rock CD and stars Misty Mundae. I think it definitely belongs on this set because the novel is a throwback to 80s horror flicks, and the make-up was deliberately retro.
Anthony T: Now on to “Slime City Massacre”. This film looks more outrageous, in the plot synopsis alone than the first film. Tell me in your own words; what’s the film's about.
Greg: It's both a prequel and a sequel to the first film, the way that THE GODFATHER II was to THE GODFATHER; this enabled me to dramatize the back-story, rather than have characters describe what happened in the first film. In SLIME CITY, there was this dead occultist named Zachary who was behind everything and possessed Robert's character, but we never saw him except in a dream and in the author photo of a book called FLESH CONTROL. In SLIME CITY MASSACRE, Robert plays Zachary, the man behind it all, and we see how he indoctrinates street people into his Coven of Flesh. The flashbacks appear throughout the film, like on LOST, and show how and why Zachary and his followers committed suicide, and their goal in possessing others.
The main body of the film takes place seven years in our future, after a terrorist bomb has leveled lower Manhattan and the U.S. has invaded Canada for oil. Horror author Kealan Patrick Burke plays Cory, an army deserter, and Jennifer Bihl Alexa, a draft dodger, who come to the NYC ruins now called "Slime City." The place is occupied by hundreds of homeless people, and it's sort of a bizarre, MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME sort of society. Cory and Alexa hook up with Alice and Mason, played by Debbie Rochon and Lee Perkins, who teach them how to get by in this dark and dangerous world. The four of them discover the ruins of Zachary's old wine cellar, with the elixir and "Himalayan yogurt" from the first film, and all four of them get possessed. At the same time, a greedy developer played by Roy Frumkes hires a team of mercenaries to wipe out all of the homeless people. And there's a race of mutant cannibals... so there's a lot going on, a lot of action.
Anthony T: What made you want to go back and revisit “Slime City” after all those years between films?
Greg: I felt I had unfinished business as a filmmaker, that I could use what I learned over the years to make something special, and that I could do some really creative things based on the simple ideas from the first film. I figured, "If I'm going to make another low budget horror film, I'm going to do one that will appeal to a fan base that already exists."
Anthony T: How did the story for that film come about?
Greg: I was looking for a way to work Robert and Mary into a tale so we could work together again. The flashbacks worked great for Robert, who is the best he's ever been in this film. Those scenes have a lot of heart and kinky fun in them, and I think people will be attached to our creepy Coven members. Mary comes into the film in the middle. She plays her "good girl" character from the first film, but much changed. She really kicks ass! But I couldn't find an organic way for them to appear together, because of the different time periods, so SLIME fans will have to be content with the hilarious joint interview they did for the GRINDHOUSE COLLECTION. They worked together for several years in an improv group after SLIME, so they're funny together and have great chemistry.
I knew I didn't want to repeat the story and scenario from the first film. Why bother? So I came up with this slightly futuristic, somber setting, sort of like a 70s sci-fi flick before STAR WARS set everything back intellectually. And I wanted four characters to be possessed this time, instead of just one, and have very different things happen to them. The film has a serious subtext, but it's also very funny, very sexy, and very comic booky. I think it's going to be a lot of fun, whether people liked the original or not, and whether they've even seen it.
Anthony T: “Slime City Massacre” features appearances from Debbie Rochon (“Tromeo and Juliet”, “The Good Sisters”), Brook Lewis (“Kinky Killers” I Murders”) Lee Perkins (“Live Evil, “Edges of Darkness”), Lloyd Kaufman (Director of “Poultrygeist”, “The Toxic Avenger”). What was it like getting talent for this film compared to your other previous films?
Greg: Well, I've always liked my actors, but this was different. Robert, Mary, Tom Sweeney, T.J. Merrick, and even Dick Biel from my first films are all much more experienced now, and felt they had a real chance to stretch with this script, and delivered in spades. There isn't one weak performance in this film, and it's a HUGE cast, a real ensemble piece. Debbie and Lee brought a level of experience and professionalism and creativity to the film that I only half expected; they really raised the bar and challenged everyone to match them. It was a wonderful experience to work out scenes involving both of them and Kealan and Jennifer, to see all four of them flesh out their characters and expand my script. Debbie has a monologue in this that will bring tears to people's eyes, or just leave their mouths open in shock. All of the actors brought moments like this to their scenes, and it was a real privilege to work with such a talented team. Brooke plays Nicole - the cult member who possessed Mary's "bad girl" in the original, and gave a fantastic performance opposite Robert.
Anthony T: Another thing that got me interested in this film was seeing the behind the scenes footage on youtube over at www.youtube.com/Scsurvivor. This seems to be the latest trend in low-budget filmmaking, with this and Full Moon’s upcoming “Puppet Master: Axis of Evil”. How did the idea of keeping a video blog about the production of the film come about?
Greg: I'm always looking for different ways to promote my novels and books, and this seemed like a unique way to enable people to discover the film while we're in post production. A young woman named Madeleine Koestner shot and edited these webisodes and did a terrific job. I get a real kick out of them because sometimes I see things that were going on out of my sight!
Anthony T: What’s the current production status on the film?
Greg: We're going to be finished by the end of this year, on the festival circuit next year, and then looking for distribution just like everyone else. I'm really happy with the amount of interest in it so far.
Anthony T: Are there any other projects on the horizon, after this film?
Greg: Well, I have three novels being published over the next two years, and it's important to me that they don't slip through the cracks. I hope to keep making films, and have a couple on the back burner, but I think my immediate future lies in these novels. And I need to nurture SCM through its release so that everyone who might appreciate it knows it's out there. It's tough, with so much big budget product in cinemas and indie films competing for limited space in video stores.
Anthony T: Good luck with "The Slime City Grindhouse Collection", which is on DVD shelves now from Shock-O-Rama and with “Slime City Massacre”.
Greg: Thank you!
You can meet up with Greg Lamberson at this weekend at Rue Mourge’s Weekend of Horror at the Medallion Press booth, as he’s promoting his upcoming book, “Personal Demons”.
To see the behind the scenes footage for “Slime City Massacre”, you can goto: www.youtube.com/Scsurvivor.
Ghost Month Year: 2009 Director: Danny Draven Studio: North American Motion Pictures Stars: Marina Resa, Shirley To, Rick Irvin MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 103 Mins Official Website: http://www.ghostmonthmovie.com/
“Ghost Month” is a horror film that I’ve been looking forward to for a while, as I’m a fan Danny Draven’s work. He has directed such horror films such as, Horrorvision, Hell Asylum, and Deathbed for Full Moon Features. Now he’s branching out on his own with Ghost Month.
The film is about a housekeeper, who is trying to escape from her ex-boyfriend. She takes a gig at a remote southwestern home with a couple of Chinese women. But she realizes that the seventh month of every year, spirits from the dead walk among the living. During the time rules must be followed, in order for the spirits not to harm you.
Not believing in those rules, the housekeeping ignores the warnings. Soon, she begins having nightmares of people, who have died in the house. Now, in order for these nightmares and the haunting to stop, she must find out what happened in the house before they take her soul.
Ghost Month is a suspenseful and creepy ghost story. The reason why this was effective was Danny Draven’s direction. This is most mature and most disciplined effort yet. The production level looked very professional. He does a very good job making the atmosphere very dark. Draven doesn’t let up with the creepiness this film has, as it helps make the story suspenseful. He also does a very good job making sure that darkness that surrounds this film stay throughout. It keeps the viewer’s interest in the story. Draven also does a good job making all the performances mysterious. By doing that, it keeps the mystery going and provides suspenseful moments. He also does a great job directing his two main actresses, Marina Resa and Shirley To. He gets the best out of his actresses, as they brought a lot to their roles. They did a very good job bringing the personalities that were needed for their characters. It makes you interested in them and it makes you enjoy the movie more.
Draven’s screenplay is very dark and suspenseful. One of the things that he does well is to create a story, where it’s creepy and the action is suspenseful. That makes for an entertaining film. He also does a good job with the subplot with the psycho boyfriend. I liked how that was secondary to everything that was going on, as it didn’t take away from the main plot. That subplot could have taken over the film, but Draven smartly doesn’t spend a lot of time with it. That doesn’t lose focus with the film’s main plot and it doesn’t turn this into a slasher film. Another thing that I liked was the way that Draven created the characters, especially with the main character. I liked how the character was created with an innocence like feel to her. It makes the character very likeable and makes you want to root for her.
Fans of “The Grudge” and Japanese ghost films will enjoy this. “Ghost Month” is a suspenseful film that will leave you chills.
"Dead Snow", a film that I recently reviewed on site won the Audience Award for Best Feature at this years Toronto After Dark Film Festival, by other high profiled horrors films such as "Trick 'R Treat" "Grace" "The Children" and "Embodiment of Evil". Here are the complete list of winners.
AUDIENCE AWARDS, BEST FEATURE FILM
1.GOLD: DEAD SNOW 2.SILVER: TRICK ‘R TREAT 3.BRONZE: BLACK DYNAMITE
VISION AWARDS, Best Independent Feature Film The Vision Awards are given out by the Festival in recognition of outstanding independent genre feature filmmaking.
1.GOLD: STRIGOI 2.SILVER: THE REVENANT 3.BRONZE: GRACE
1.GOLD: THE USERS GUIDE TO IMAGINARY FRIENDS (ABRIDGED) 2.SILVER: THE HORRIBLY SLOW MURDERER WITH THE EXTREMELY INEFFICIENT WEAPON 3.BRONZE: KING OF POWER 4 BILLION %
The film festival also annouced that next year's festival will be taking place on August 13-20, 2010.
Welcome to the 197th Edition of my blog. I will be paying tribute this week to the late John Hughes. I got my fantasy football team together so I'm going for that big prize this year and hope to do better than last year.
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961): Stanley Kramer directed this courtroom drama which takes place in German, three years since the most important Nazi leaders had been tried or died. Now there are four judges on trial for conducting Nazi sterilization and cleansing policies which were believed to have lead to the many deaths in concentration camps. Spencer Tracy is the retired American judge Dan Hayward is brought in with two other judges to conduct this very difficult trial and make a very important decision. Burt Lancaster is one of the judges on trial. Montgomery Clift also has a good, small part as one of the witnesses. Judy Garland, in a later role, also is very good as a very reluctant witness making it very refreshing to see her doing something so different. The all-star cast also includes Marlene Dietrich, Maximilian Schell, Richard Widmark, and pre-STAR TREK William Shatner. The all-star casts really works and forces you to think your views on what should happen in a trial with lots of gray areas.
Gods and Monsters (1998): The Facebook friend I chose for this week is Ric who I was in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST with. Bill Condon directed this film adaption on Christopher's Bram's novel FATHER OF FRANKENSTEIN which was a fictional account on the last days of director James Whale, most known for FRANKENSTEIN and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Sir Ian McKellan stars as the famed director who is long past his prime. The flamboyant director takes an interest in his new gardener Clayton Boone, played by Brendan Fraser, who he asks to model for him for a picture to be drawn and they form a very unusual friendship despite Whale's homosexuality and Boone getting uncomfortable with the advances. He also has a lot of fantasies in his mind placing people in his life as characters in FRANKENSTEIN. Lynn Redgrave plays his disapproving house maid. This was a great movie which makes lots of good references to what he has done in his career with the ups and downs in his life. This might be Fraser's best performance showing that he does not always have to try to be funny. When you watch this, take a look at some of Whale's other work, he was a very versatile director despite breaking a lot of ground into the horror genre. What I also liked her was when Clayton found out who he is, he was very anxious to check out his work and see BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN on the tv asking some of his friends to watch with him. He sat in enjoyment but his friends were laughing just seeing it as a comedy. It may not be scary by today's standards and Whale did have a strange sense of humor but it did give life to the iconic story of FRANKENSTEIN that we know today and the first known movie that was out there. Lolita Davidovich, Kevin J. O'Connor, and Jack Plotnick also co-star.
The Incredible Hulk (2008): I found this Marvel film on On-Demand when I was at my Dad's house. I had recalled seeing the 2003 Ang Lee film HULK but heard this was much better than that and I ended up agreeing. This was not a sequel to it but almost like something to make up for the 2003 flop. With the 2003 version, I just did not see much depth to it and really did not have an enemy to fight. At least here, Tim Roth was someone he had to fight while having to battle with his "disease". Ed Norton stars as Bruce Banner, who is actually a US government fugitive residing in Mexico to hide out and to try to keep from becoming the green person he did not want to be. Despite his efforts, the military led by General Ross, played by William Hurt who I would have never recognized if his name was not in the credits, catch up to him and events cause Banner to turn into what he hates. Liv Tyler stars as Betty Ross, General Ross' daughter and Banner's love interest, who rightfully blames her father for Bruce's state. Tim Roth plays Emil Blonsky who will do everything he can to catch Banner leading up to quite a fight in the end. Even the computer animation seemed more complex this time than the 2003 version which I fought looked way too cartoonish. I really actually prefer the 2003 actors Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly in the Bruce Banner and Betty Ross roles but Norton and Tyler make the most of them and have a much better script to work with. Former Hulk Lou Ferrigno has a cameo as a security guard and even does the voice of the Hulk. Look for Robert Downey Jr. in a cameo. This does not top 2008's THE DARK KNIGHT and IRON MAN for me but is part of an array of a great 2008 for comic book films.
In America (2002): Jim Sheridan directed this film which I felt was the best of 2002 and probably ranks pretty high in my favorites. This movie shows an illegal immigrant family coming into the United States and trying to make the difficult adjustment. Paddy Considine is Johnny who is a struggling actor just trying to get a part in a play. Samantha Morton plays his wife with Sarah and Emma Bolger playing their two girls which worked very well. They live in a very bad apartment complex in New York but find help through various friends that are made like their reclusive neighbor Mateo, played very well by Djimon Hounsou. The movie is seen through the eyes of the older daughter Sarah, played by Sarah Bolger, showing their financial and emotional struggles and showing how each one is dealing differently with the death of their younger brother. This is a great and realistic portrait of a family who just wants a chance and is an absolute work of art in my opinion. The four family members work very well together and Sheridan's best idea was casting real sisters to play the daughters.
An American Crime (2007): I also found this one on On-Demand while at my Dad's and this is something I want to immediately emphasize...THIS IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. I chose this one because I saw the name Ellen Page, who I hardly see in anything but usually like her when I do, and because I saw it was something happening in Indianapolis in the 60s and I live pretty close to there. Ellen plays Sylvia Likens, whose parents pay a single mother with four kids $20 a week to take care of her and her younger sister Jennie so that the parents can work their carnival jobs. Catherine Keener plays the part of Gertrude Baniszewski, the mom of four who takes these kids in and starts a series of abuse with Sylvia which starts with hitting her with a belt but escalates into burning cigarettes into her skin to eventually imprisoning her into the basement. When in the basement she demanded that her children and other neighborhood kids torture Sylvia until she "learns her lesson" which if you google the name, you'll find it was eventually murder and the movie was based on the trial and showing flashbacks. It was very difficult to watched and admit I watched in anger for Gertrude's abuse towards her and her thinking that she is in the right for what she was doing. Keener just portrayed this person disturbingly well. I did some research on this case and it has been said "this is the most terrible crime committed in the state of Indiana" and what I found was unfortunately very accurately. James Franco co-stars Gertrude's on-again, off-again younger boyfriend and is more unlikable than usual in this movie. I would guess that the real-life Jennie Likens, Sylvia's younger sister, will not watch this if she is still alive and nor would I blame her. I do believe that child abusers should be shown this movie to get an idea of what they look like when they are doing it. In the same year this movie came out, Gregory Wilson directed a 2007 movie of Jack Ketchum's novel THE GIRL NEXT DOOR and no this is not the comedy with Elisha Cuthbert. This also is based on these events but the names were changed. I did not see that one but I know it was pretty acclaimed. This was a very well-done film with good performances with Ellen losing a lot of weight to get into the role since Sylvia was not exactly fed all the time. I think I have spoken long enough on this one, I just want to get enough warning to everyone to make the decision to watch. The movie is only about 90 minutes so it does not go overlong.
She's Having a Baby (1988): This is my tribute to John Hughes. I know he has done work more known and probably better but this is the one I already had on my Netflix queue so I figured I would give it a shot. Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern play newlyweds Jake and Kristy who then must adjust to the rest of their lives in the world of work and to decide if they want a baby which both sides of parents clearly want. Alec Baldwin plays Jake's irresponsible friend Davis. There are some pretty interesting fantasy sequences including a choreographed number with people mowing. The performances were pretty good. It probably could have stood to have about 15-20 minutes cut off but still enjoyable for me to watch especially since the one I had seen right before was the last I commented on.
Cinderella's Feller (1940): This is my short film for the week which is on the dvd of VIRGINIA CITY that I featured last week. This is an interesting early short adaptation of the classic where the title girl, her two wicked stepsisters, and Prince Charming are all elementary age children and Cinderella gets to watch the talent show with the Prince at the ball. The talent show had some very good acts and the king was quite funny. It is a very good adaptation of the classic and yes that is the same dog that plays Toto whose name is Terry, the most worked dog in Hollywood.
The Sugarland Express (1974): This is Steven Spielberg's theatrical debut fresh off directing the great 1971 tv movie DUEL. This is a true story which stars Goldie Hawn as Lou Jean Poplin, a mother very upset when her baby is taken away. She goes to break her husband Clovis, played by William Atherton, out of prison and set out on quite a journey to get their baby back from the foster home. In the process, they take officer Maxwell Slide hostage. Michael Sacks plays this part and while not happy at first, he comes to admire the couple. The longer they are on the run from all the police, the bigger of a cult following do they receive. Much of society deem them as heroes and at times get mobbed like they were big celebrities.. Goldie was great in her part as well as the others and Ben Johnson as Captain Harlin Taylor who is after them but also comes to admire them as well. This is a good road movie and the start of the collaboration between Spielberg and composer John Williams. This is a great experience to watch so get with your friends and do so.
The Dawn Rider (1935): I used some early John Wayne this week when he worked for Lone Star Productions. Here, he plays John Mason whose father is murdered and he becomes wounded. Alice does what she can to nurse him to health but things happen when John is attracted to her and Alice is engaged to his friend Ben. John then goes after the man who killed his father not knowing Ben removed the bullets. It provided pretty good entertainment. I'm really not as big of John Wayne fan as some even though I'll be using him next week.
The Richest Girl in the World (1934): I end with this romantic comedy starring a very young Miriam Hopkins and Joel McCrea. Hopkins plays Dorothy, the title character, who is convinced she will not fall in love due to her wealth. Dorothy's secretary Sylvia, played by Fay Wray, fronts for her in public and Dorothy poses as Sylvia. When being Sylvia, she meets McCrea and sees he might want more than money and must go through some tests. It was interesting seeing Wray in something besides KING KONG and the others are pretty good making this a pretty decent romantic comedy from that era.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you don't like and stay tuned for next week which will include John Wayne, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Sylvester Stallone.
FUN LITTLE FACTS
Burt Lancaster (Judgment at Nuremberg) was originally going to play the part of Luis Molena in the 1985 film KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN but the part would ultimately go to William Hurt (The Incredible Hulk)
Judy Garland (Judgement at Nuremberg) plays Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film THE WIZARD OF OZ. Lynn Redgrave (Gods and Monsters) voices the Wicked Witch of the East in the 2000 film LION OF OZ.
Ian McKellen (Gods and Monsters) plays Gandalf in Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. Liv Tyler (The Incredible Hulk) plays Arwen in the same trilogy.
Ian McKellen (Gods and Monsters) plays Magneto in the X-MEN trilogy. Ellen Page (An American Crime) plays Kitty Pryde in X-MEN: THE LAST STAND.
Brendan Fraser (Gods and Monsters) plays Sinbad in the 2000 animated film SINBAD: BEYOND THE VEIL OF MISTS. Lou Ferrigno plays the part in the 1989 film SINBAD AND THE SEVEN SEAS.
Welcome of the 196th Edition of my long-running series. I have two selections from the Random Myspace Profile selection process this week and next week will have none. It has been a long week where I have not been feeling good most of the week. I'm not exactly 100% but I am much better now.
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan (1982): I start this week with a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose the Richmond Reviewers. Many of the Trekkies, or is it Trekkers, consider this one the best of the Star Trek movies. In here we have William Shatner reprising his role of Admiral James T. Kirk who is tiring of his desk job and comes back for some action only to have an old enemy named Khan, played very well by Ricardo Montalban, target him and his crew for assassination. Kirk must then train his crew to take down the enemy and survive the many traps set. We still have originals like Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, DeForest Kelly, James Doohan, among others. We also add CHEERS alum Kirstie Alley and Paul Winfield to this cast. Alley makes her debut here as a fellow Vulcan just like Dr. Spock. I am by no means a die-hard Trekker but was still able to enjoy this story. I know enough to know the characters and some from tv series TGN and DSN so die hard Trek fans will know what they stand for. Khan was a character in a 1967 episode still portrayed by Ricard Montalban.
Joe Versus the Volcano (1990): The Facebook friend I chose here was Jennie who was in my Spanish class in high school. This movie got a rather mixed reception from our society and I decided to give it a try. This is the first of the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan trilogy. The others are SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, and YOU'VE GOT MAIL showing a pretty good duo of the 90s which we lack today. We'll never have Tracy/Hepburn again but they are close enough which is not saying a whole lot. Tom Hanks is working in a job he absolutely hates and his doctor diagnoses him with the rare and terminal "brain cloud". He is then hired by a billionaire, played by Lloyd Bridges, to jump into a volcano to appease the volcano god. Meg Ryan plays three different parts in this and each are very different doing a great job in her triple job. Her last character Patricia falls in love with him and has trouble accepting his job. If you're looking something absolutely hilarious, this is not it but there are some good moments and Hanks was good. I especially liked the beginning showing his humiliation at work. Other people in the movie include Dan Hedaya, Abe Vigoda, Robert Stack, Carol Kane, Amanda Plummer, and Ossie Davis. This movie shows extreme measures and the search for the purpose of one's life which Tom Hanks does throughout the whole movie and it takes a lot to make him realize that his life is worth living. Look for Nathan Lane in the tribe. I'll shut up on this one and move on.
We Are Marshall (2006): This is part of the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose Chris Yandek. I must say, this really played on my emotions as I teared quite a bit watching this "football" movie. I put quotations because this while there was quite a bit of football playing in this, it is the most unimportant element of the film and the focuses much less than other football movies I have seen in the past. I have put a lot of football films on this one and they work a lot because of the lack of focus on football which might make this one rank on the top of my list of football films. This is based on a true story where after a game where the football team of Marshall University flies back and they crash which killed all of them. Matthew McConaughey plays the replacement coach Jack Lengyal who actually asks for the coaching job after the tragedy when no one else wanted it. LOST star Matthew Fox plays assistant coach Red Dawson who is not on the plane and is reluctant to return. Anthony Mackie is one of the players that was not on the plane and lobbies endlessly to get the team back. What this movie focuses on is the aftermath of the tragedy and how everyone deals with it. It was not the most popular decision among the community to bring back the team. DEADWOOD alum Ian McShane plays a long-time member of the community who frequents the local restaurant and was the biggest critic of the reformation of Marshall because of his son dying in the crash. Other actors in the movie include David Strathairn, January Jones, Kate Mara, among others. This movie did not focus on winning, it focused on a small-town community which made it great in my book and gave me lots to say so I'll shut up and get to the rest. This is a much better directorial effort than his recent movie TERMINATOR: SALVATION in my opinion.
The Piano (1993): Jame Campion directed this period piece that takes place in 1850s New Zealand. Holly Hunter plays Ada, a mute woman, who along with her daughter Flora come for an arranged marriage to a wealthy landowner named Stewart, played by Sam Neill. Anna Paquin plays Flora and was great showing she had quite a future. Ada is a great piano player who goes through some trouble to get that piano with her. Ada then falls for a neighber named George, played very well by Harvey Keitel, even though she is married to Stewart. She does not like George at first but soon he grows on her. This really is not for everyone but can be very enjoyable and my favorite performance, not necessarily movie, from Harvey Keitel as I don't have to hear that weird scream he sometimes does in his movie, most notably in RESERVOIR DOGS and BAD LIEUTENANT. Holly Hunter is also good as Ada who must work with emotions since she does not have dialogue except for a little narration from her thinking.
David Harum (1934): I now bring you Will Rogers for the week. I know I have really lacked this guy through the years and nothing done on purpose but he is enjoyable to watch. Rogers plays the title character who is a small-town banker who also likes the horses. His rival is the Deacon, played by Charles Middleton, and always seems to end up on the short end of the Stick. David buys a horse off the Deacon and sees that the horse does not want to race. It is then discovered that one thing will make it run making a good horse race scene near the end and for some pretty funny situations. There was a black man in the movie playing a stereotyped character to the core but people accepted that more in those times so try not to dismiss it as absolute racism.
Ten Little Indians (1965): This is my tribute to the late Harry Alan Towers who recently left us. He helped write the screenplay to this adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel. This is based around the strange nursery rhyme and song where 10 strangers meet in a home where a voice comes in accusing each one of causing the death of an innocent person. When hearing this recording, they find that people are being killed one by one like the poem and must find who is killing them whether it is someone in the house or one of them. Hugh O'Brien and Shirley Eaton play two of the people who are trying to find who is trying to kill everyone. This was a very entertaining movie to watch and was drawn in the whole 90 minutes and kept me guessing to the end. Christopher Lee is uncredited as the voice. This is a very small cast where each person has importance and no one is an extra. The cast works very well together.
In This Our Life (1942): I found this John Huston film on TCM on the Bette Davis marathon. Davis plays Stanley Timberlake, a woman who leaves her fiance, played by George Brent for her sister's husband, played by Dennis Morgan. Olivia De Havilland is her sister Roy, who is not very close to her sister for what she did. All four of these people work very well together. Stanley shows her true character when she does something worse than stealing her sister's husband and will not take the blame. Billie Burke plays their mother in a more dramatic role than she is used to. Hattie McDaniel plays their loyal servant. This is a great melodrama on deceit, lie and betrayal. Like Bette Davis or not, she always makes herself known and very easily set herself apart from other actresses from that era. Ernest Anderson plays McDaniel's son who has a great performance and a good portrayal of a black man for that era. Look for Walter Huston in a cameo.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975): Jim Sharman directed this musical based on the stage play by Richard O'Brian, who actually plays the role of Riff-Raff. This is by no means a movie where if you're bored and by yourself just trying to find something to watch. If that happens, you'll be disappointed. This movie is not meant for everyone at all but it is meant for a bunch of friends to get together and play along with it by screaming out all the remarks to the characters and other parts of the routine. When I was about 14 or 15, my dad took me to see the midnight showing of this movie where people were acting out these parts while the movie was gone and I really did not know what to think. I was probably more intrigued than anything. Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon star as engaged couple Brad and Janet, who get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere so the only place to try is a castle where they find is a bit strange and run by a transvestite named Dr. Frank N Furter, greatly played by Tim Curry. Frank is working on his creation of a boy named Rocky for him and Brad and Janet's life will never be the same. Meatloaf has a good cameo appearance as Eddie singing HOT PATOOTIE. Charles Gray, Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn, and others co-star is this bizarre musical. I admit, I have not worked up the guts to try out for this where they do a show at Muncie Civic Theater every couple of years. This movie is very strange, not for all tastes but take it for what it is worth and just get a group of friends together and just have fun.
Jinx! (2007): This is my short film for the week which I found on IFC. This is a very interesting 11 minutes where a nerdy girl named Eleanor and the other a bully named Rachel get into an argument when Rachel would not let Eleanor play the school yard game. When these 2nd graders are arguing Eleanor becomes "Jinxed" by Rachel so that she cannot talk unless her name is said by Rachel. Eleanor does what she can to get Rachel to say the word but it takes many years for it to happen leading into a very funny finale. I forgot about the whole Jinx thing until I saw this but I don't recall anyone ever taking it so seriously. If you're not too serious and want a little humor, check this out sometime. If you get IFC, please support these filmmakers and the IFC Short Film Showcase. It puts out some pretty good stuff within an hour.
Virginia City (1940): I now end with this western collaboration between Michael Curtiz and Errol Flynn. Fresh off the DODGE CITY success, they reteam for this western set during the Civil War. Errol plays Captain Kerry Bradford, a Union man who escapes from a Confederate prison who sets off for Virginia City in Nevada. He then learns that the commander of the prison Vance Irby, played by western star Randolph Scott, is planning to take 5 million in gold. Miriam Hopkins co-stars as Julia who is conflicted by her duty and heart. Humphrey Bogart is amusing as pencil-thin mustached outlaw John Murrell but not the most believable as a Mexican. There were some pretty daring stunts performed in this movie and some good action scenes where alliances change a lot. Flynn is good as Bradford who gives his same charm as always.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you love and what you hate. Stay tuned for next week which includes Spencer Tracy, Ian McKellan, and Liv Tyler.
FUN LITTLE FACTS
This week includes movies one through nine, I had too long of week to work in what might have connections in VIRGINIA CITY but readers are free to comment and give information about it.
William Shatner (Star Trek) plays John Adams and Hugh O'Brian (Ten Little Indians) plays Thomas Jefferson in the 1970 tv special SWING OUT, SWEET LAND
O.K. CORRAL FRANCHISE -Deforest Kelley (Star Trek) plays Morgan Earp in the 1957 film GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL. -Hugh O'Brian (Ten Little Indians) plays Morgan's more famous brother Wyatt Earp in the 50s-60s tv series THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF WYATT EARP. -Walter Huston (In This Our Life) plays Doc Holiday in the 1943 film THE OUTLAW
Kirstie Alley (Star Trek) plays Rebecca Howe in the tv series CHEERS. Dan Hedaya (Joe Versus the Volcano) plays recurring character Nick Tortelli in the series.
Paul Winfield (Star Trek) plays Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1978 mini-series KING. Ossie Davis (Joe Versus the Volcano) plays his father in the same mini-series.
Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek) voices the role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the 1994 film THE PAGEMASTER. Wilfred Hyde-White (Ten Little Indians) plays the role in the 1949 film HELTER SKELTER
Lloyd Bridges (Joe Versus the Volcano) was considered for the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the 1966 tv series STAR TREK which would ultimately become iconized by William Shatner (Star Trek)
Amanda Plummer (Joe Versus the Volcano) plays Honey Bunny who plots to rob a restaurant in the 1994 film PULP FICTION. Harvey Keitel (The Piano) plays Winston Wolf, who gets people out of jams in the same film.
Meg Ryan (Joe Versus the Volcano) does the voice of Anastasia in the 1997 film ANASTASIA. Olivia De Havilland (In This Our Life) plays Empress Maria, Anastasia's mother, in the 1986 tv movie ANASTASIA: THE MYSTERY OF ANNA
Ian McShane (We Are Marshall) plays Judas, who most know betrayed Jesus Christ, in the 1977 mini-series JESUS OF NAZARETH. Harvey Keitel (The Piano) plays the part in the 1988 film THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.
CAPTAIN HOOKS -Ian McShane (We Are Marshall) does the voice for Captain Hook in the 2007 film SHREK THE THIRD and apparently in the next sequel. -Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show) does the voice for the cartoon series in the early 90s PETER PAN AND THE PIRATES. -My Facebook friend Kayla played the part in their production at Lee's Theatrical Productions.
Sam Neill (The Piano) plays former president Thomas Jefferson in the 2000 tv movie SALLY HEMMINGS: AN AMERICAN SCANDAL. Hugh O'Brian (Ten Little Indians) plays the role in the 1970 tv special SWING OUT, SWING LOUD.
TEN LITTLE INDIANS actors Hugh O'Brian and Leo Genn have both played the part of Starbuck in MOBY DICK. -O'Brian played the part in a 1954 episode of HALLMARK HALL OF FAME -Genn played the role in the 1956 film
JAMES BOND FRANCHISE -Shirley Eaton (Ten Little Indians) plays "Golden Girl" Jill Masterson in the 1964 film GOLDFINGER -Christopher Lee (Ten Little Indians uncredited) plays villain Francisco Scaramanga in the 1974 film THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN. -Charles Gray (Rocky Horror Picture Show) plays villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the 1971 film DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. Blofeld was Bond's rival mostly in the Connery era and the single Bond film that George Lazenby did.
Dennis Price plays Dr. Edward Armstrong in this week's feature TEN LITTLE INDIANS. Walter Huston (In This Our Life uncredited) plays the role in the 1945 version AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
Christopher Lee (Ten Little Indians uncredited) plays Mycroft Holmes, an older brother of Sherlock, in the 1970 film THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES. Charles Gray (Rocky Horror Picture Show) played the part in the 1976 film THE SEVEN-PER-CENT SOLUTION and would go onto play it on tv later in his career.
Tim Curry (Rocky Horror) plays Cardinal Richelieu in 1993 film THE THREE MUSKETEERS. My facebook friend John played the part in the recent production at Muncie Civic Theater.
Tim Curry (Rocky Horror) plays Rooster in the 1982 film ANNIE. My facebook friends Eric and Tommy have each played the part at the Anderson Mainstage Theater. I know I have used that one a lot but I am on a role with the Facebook thing so I'll get in every tag I can now.
Through the years many of my Facebook friends have been in the production of this week's feature THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW including Corey, Sean, Kristen, Lindsey, Kevin H., Nathyn, Katie, Joe, Kevin P, Aaron, Stevie, Cody, Amanda, Brittany, Alli, Kellin, and even Bill. If I have missed anyone, I am sorry.
If it's halloween, then it must be time for another Saw film. Lionsgate recently send up the lastest "Saw VI poster". Man, does this poster looks frightening.
Anchor Bay Entertainment recently released the list of cities in which "The Open Road" will open up on August 28th
Bella Vista,AR Bradenton,FL Johnston,IA Fort Wayne,IN Saint Paul,MN Greensboro,NC Raleigh,NC Franklin,TN Madison,TN Edinburg,TX El Paso,TX Houston,TX Los Angeles,CA Corpus Christi/Portland,TX
For more information of this film, you can visit the film's official website at: http://www.theopenroadmovie.com/
Also, check out the latest Tv Spot that Anchor Bay Entertainment has provided us with.
Film Arcade.net recently received information reguarding a new film staring one of the stars of High School Musical from Samuel Goldwyn Films.
FREE STYLE stars HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL’s Corbin Bleu, as Cale Bryant, in an inspirational and uplifting story for the entire family about a young man’s determination to win a coveted spot on the Grand National motocross racing team. With the support of his loving mother (Penelope Ann Miller, KINDERGARTEN COP), precocious little sister (Madison Pettis, SEVEN POUNDS, THE GAME PLAN) and new girlfriend (Sandra Echeverria, Telemundo’s MARINA), Cale proves against all odds that he has the heart, the willpower and the courage never to give up on his dream.
Free Style hits theaters on October 2nd. For more information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at: http://www.freestylemovie.com/
Dod Sno Aka: Dead Snow Director: Tommy Wirkola Studio: IFC Films Stars: Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner MPAA Rating: Not Rated Running Time: 91 Mins
2009 has been a very good year for the horror genre. There has been a lot great horror out there, like “I Sell the Dead”, “Drag Me to Hell”, “Martyrs”, and “Rec” to name a few. Well you can add “Dead Snow” to that list of great horror films of 2009.
The film starts with eight medical students, as they are on vacation on the ski slopes near Olsfjord. They stop at a small cabin to drink and party all night long. They soon meet an old man that interrupts their night of fun. . He tells them the history of how the Nazis were torturing and abusing the locals. Soon the medical students find a box of gold that belonged to them back in that era. Now, a group of Nazi zombies want that gold back, which leads to a showdown between them and the medical students.
“Dead Snow’ is Norway’s answer to “The Evil Dead”. This was a very fun movie to watch. The reason for that was Writer/Director Tommy Wirkola’s ability to make this film very scary and fun, as this is the most fun, I’ve had watching a foreign horror film in a quite a while. The reason the fun level works, Wirkola builds up the tension leading to the death scenes. He builds them up with false scares and some campiness to the introduction of the characters. It sets up this fun and gory ride that persists through out the whole film. Worlola also gets into the eyes of action, as they are a couple of scenes, where you are seeing the action through a zombie soldier’s eyes. By doing that, it builds up to their onscreen presence, as you don’t want to know what they look like, right away, as it takes away from the frightening aspects.
Also, the deaths scenes were very creative and inventive. If you going into seeing a horror movie like this, you want the deaths to be as something that you haven’t seen before. There are a couple of deaths that you would never see in any other zombie movie, but this one. It makes the action very intense and fun.
The acting in this film, also added to the insanity that made this film very fun. Wirkola does a very good making the performance come of as campy and funny at times. Its needed to keep up the insane action, in order for it to be successful and not come off as just another horror film.
The Screenplay written by Wikola and Stig Frode Henriksen does delivering on its intended purpose, to entertain the hell out of you. They do that, by setting everything up from the characters, to the deaths, to the final bloody showdown. By doing that, it grabs the viewer for the ride. Another thing that was good about this screenplay, the way they introduce the zombies. You don’t see them on screen right away; it takes about half way through before you see them fully. The screenwriters did that so it builds suspense. All this insane action is well and good but if you don’t have suspense build into the story, then the film loses its insanity.
This is the most fun I’ve had watching a foreign horror film, in quite a while. This is definitely a horror film that you should definitely check it. Dead Snow in fun and insane zombie film that will please zombie lovers alike.
“Dead Snow” is currently in limited release and on IFC On Demand. Check your local cable provider for more information
Night Train Year: 2009 Director: Brian King Studio: E1 Entertainment Stars: Danny Glover, Leelee Sobieski and Steve Zahn MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 83 Mins
Every year, there are films that I question to the reasoning to why that film was released in the first place “Night Train” makes me question, why this film ever see the light of day.
The film is about, three people who discover a mysterious box after the person died in his cabin. They decide to open that box, only to discover a bunch of valuable diamonds. Instead of stopping the train, the three conspire to get rid of the body by throwing it into the river. But unknown to them, the box has mysterious powers which may end up in each of them turning on each other.
Going into this, I was thinking to myself that this can’t that bad of a film, with actors like Danny Glover, Leelee Sobieski and Steve Zahn in it. Well, I wrong with that assumption, as its not bad, it’s plainly awful.
“Night Train” is complete mess that makes you wonder, why some of these films ever see the light of day. This film goes off the tracks, in the first ten minutes. Brian King’s direction was very tedious and lifeless. This film is his directorial debut and it shows how inexperienced he is. King is another writer that thinks that he can step behind the camera and direct. Sorry, his direction was like same direction job that Frank Miller did with “The Spirit” That job earned Miller the dishonor of worst film of 2008. There was nothing I liked about it this. Lets, start with the exterior backgrounds. I know that this film was shot on a low budget, but every exterior background looked like the same background that was used in “The Polar Express”. After a while, it became too distracting and painful to watch.
King’s direction of his actors was just horrible. There was no emotion to any of the film’s characters. I was surprised that the acting was horrible consider the likes like Danny Glover, Leelee Sobieski and Steve Zahn in the cast. They’re all very talented actors and actresses but they were just dreadful to watch, as they weren’t invested in this project at all
The screenplay was just as dreadful, as the direction itself. I had no idea, what type of story this was. From the trailer it looked like a thriller, but instead this felt like a supernatural horror film. I had no idea what he was trying to go for. Also, the character development was non-existent. It was like, King just stuck any three characters that he can find and put them in a room with a mysterious man, who we known nothing about. King never cared about explaining the character or the box that everyone wants. He also didn’t care about any depth to anything in this film. Instead, he decides to rush into the action, in the film’s opening minutes. That made me very disinterested in King’s story and started this trainwreck of a film.
Night Train is a trainwreck of a film that never gets on track with its direction and story.
Starring: Rory Culkin, Kieran Culkin, Alec Baldwin, Emma Roberts, Cynthia Nixon, Timothy Hutton Directed By: Derick Martini Written By: Derek & Steven Martini Grade: B
Lymelife is a coming of age film set in 1970s suburbia. It’s loosely based on writer/director, Derick Martini’s childhood. He co-wrote the film with brother, Steven Martini, and dedicated it to their late grandparents. The script was developed in 2001’s Sundance’s Filmmakers Lab program and 7 years later premiered at the festival. Scott (Rory Culkin) is a 15-year old kid, going through a lot despite how things may look on the outside. He gets beat up at school because his father has a nice car and his bullies figure they can squeeze some money out of him. His lifelong friend and crush, Adrianna (Roberts), tries to help, but just embarrasses him in front of his bullies with her motherly concern. Adriana will flirt with Scott a little here and there, but he fears one of these days he is going to lose her to one of the older guys she always seems far more interested in. Scott brighten up a bit when older brother, Jimmy (Kieran Culkin), comes back home from the army. When he finds out what happened to Scott he beats the guy responsible until Scott himself has to pull him off of him. Before long he learns that the brother who he admires so much may not be living the life of bravery in combat that Scott thought he did.
Scott slowly learns that every one close to him may have secrets of their own. He finds out that his father (Baldwin) is having an affair with Adrianna’s mother (Nixon), who is also is in a broken marriage. Her husband (Hutton) has lyme disease, leaving his wife to be the breadwinner. Scott’s father thinks supporting his family should be enough. He’s a fairly absent father and is never there for his wife, making her very lonely, regretful, and weak. Scott finally sees the reason for this when he always just thought she was crazy. All of Scott’s remodels have fallen, leaving him to face life on his own.
I liked Rory Culkin here, but I wish he would have shown a little more personality, emotion, and screen presence as Scott. There was a shy awkwardness in the character, but it would have been easier to feel for him and go along on this journey with Scott if he was a slightly more active and alive character. Kieran Culkin gave a great performance as Jimmy. He had a lot of presence and versatility, hitting the intense, emotional to the lighthearted charismatic scenes. He was funny and enjoyable to watch, but exposed more of the depth and vulnerabilities of his character than any one else. Alec Baldwin really did well in exposing the flaws of the American dream, which was one of the main focuses of the film. His character was successful and he provided for his family, getting them in to a better neighborhood where his kids could do better. Of course, one resorts to the army, not knowing what else to do with his life while the other gets beat up even though they are out of the rough neighborhood they once lived in. Baldwin shows how much his character struggles with the failure he has brought upon his family despite the financial success he has obtained. At moments he just seems like a cheating scum who isn’t there for his family. Through other moments we see that he just doesn’t know how to be there for him and now it might very well be too late.
Emma Roberts did very well as Adrianna, capturing the flirtatious and unattainable love interest, the longtime best friend, and the motherly role, always looking out for Scott. It was definitely a different role and completely different material for her. She has proved her range and I hope she does more material like this in the future. Timothy Hutton does very well as the miserable, infected, and ignored husband and father. All the misery that is suggested in suburbia is encompassed in him.
Lymelife shows fleshed out, realistic characters. They are all flawed; this is part of their misery, but it also part of life no matter where or how you live. Scott slowly realizes that his idealized perception of those closest to him is naïve. Meanwhile, Scott’s father’s life suddenly falls apart, forcing him to acknowledge that while he thinks he has achieved the American dream, his life has still ended up being a mess. This negatively impacts his kids who he wanted a better life for. Scott’s mother has dealt with her bad marriage behind closed doors, desperate to keep up appearances even to her own kids who clearly know everything isn’t as perfect as their parents claim it to be. Jimmy even lets people think he is fighting when he is really in the communications department so he can project a sense of pride. Like another failed father figure, he too wants something better for Scott.
I think the film could have been stronger if there would have been more acknowledgment and confronting of some of the issues especially by our main character since at times he feels passive. Part of the problem in the mess that life has become for many of these people is that they felt they had to hide and conceal things while pretending everything was fine. Divorce and showing your vulnerabilities and flaws weren’t as prevalent during this time so the lack of some confrontation still works. Lymelife takes a look at the misery, troubles, and loneliness that contradicts the idealism of the American dream and the sunny side of Suburbia.
Film Arcade recently recieved two images for the new Jennifer Lopez film "The Back Up Plan" which co-stars Alex O'Loughlin and Eric Christian Olsen courtsey of CBS Films.
After years of dating, Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) has decided waiting for the right one is taking too long. Determined to become a mother, she commits to a plan, makes an appointment and decides to go it alone. On the day of her artificial insemination, Zoe meets Stan (Alex O’Loughlin) – a man with real possibilities.
Trying to nurture a budding relationship and hide the early signs of pregnancy becomes a comedy of errors for Zoe and creates confusing signals for Stan. When Zoe nervously reveals the reason for her unpredictable behavior, Stan commits fully and says he’s in. Never before has love seen a courtship where a wild night of sex involves three in a bed – Stan, Zoe and the ever-present massive pregnancy pillow. Or, where “date night” consists of being the “focal point” at a near-stranger’s water birth which does for kiddie pools what “Jaws” did for swimming in the ocean. The real pregnancy test comes when both of them realize they really don’t know each other outside of hormonal chaos and birth preparations. With the nine month clock ticking, both begin to experience cold feet. Anyone can fall in love, get married and have a baby but doing it backwards in hyper-drive could be proof positive that they were made for each other.
Film arcade.net recently recived news that Anchor Bay Entertainment will be releasing "The Open Road" starring Jeff Bridges and Justin Timberlake in limited release on August 28th.
In this heartwarming comedy, minor leaguer Carlton Garrett (Justin Timberlake) takes an unexpected road trip to track down his estranged father, legendary baseball player Kyle Garrett (Jeff Bridges) when Carlton’s mother (Mary Steenburgen) becomes sick. Knowing his charming yet painfully immature dad’s likelihood to disappoint, Carlton enlists his on-again-off-again girlfriend Lucy (Kate Mara) for emotional support. Once reunited, Carlton struggles to deal with the series of misadventures caused by his father’s antics, including missed flights, car trouble and bathroom brawls. Years of miscommunication, frustration and comically awkward attempts at bonding come to a head as the mismatched trio make their way from Ohio back home to Houston to reunite the family. The film also co-stars Kate Mara, Harry Dean Stanton, Lyle Lovett and Mary Steenburgen.
"The Open Road" opens in limited release on August 28th. For information on this film, you can visit the film's official website at: http://www.theopenroadmovie.com/
