Lionsgate recently announced today, the upcoming release date and DVD and Blu-ray information for Matthew Vaughn's recent film. "Kick Ass".

Dave Lizewski (Johnson) is an ordinary teenager who goes unnoticed in high school until he takes a chance to "do something" and dons a mask and becomes "Kick-Ass" to fight real-life crime. Bruised and beaten and without any real super powers, he is saved by a father-daughter duo (Cage as "Big Daddy", Moretz as "Hit-Girl") who know all the right moves and have a vendetta against a vicious crime-lord, D'Amico (Strong). After a fiery internet storm of publicity for Kick-Ass, D'Amico wants to meet the masked man, and his son (Mintz-Plasse) dons a costume of his own and becomes "Red Mist" to befriend him and get in his father's good graces. The story comes to a head when D'Amico succeeds in luring the crime-fighters to his home and ass-kicking destruction ensues.

The high-octane phenomenon invades shelves and homes on August 3rd for the suggested retail price of $39.99 for the Blu-ray Combo Pack and $29.95 on DVD.

BLU-RAY DISC SPECIAL FEATURES*

DISC ONE

·Ass-Kicking Bonus View Mode (Blu-ray Disc Exclusive) - Synchronous with the feature film, this innovative multi-media presentation incorporates video and audio commentary, behind-the-scenes clips and illustrative graphics with Co-Writer/Producer/Director Matthew Vaughn, plus cast and crew providing an all-access perspective on Kick-Ass
·"A New Kind of Superhero: The Making of Kick-Ass " documentary (Blu-ray Disc Exclusive)
·"It's On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass" featurette
·Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Matthew Vaughn
·"The Art of Kick-Ass" gallery
·Marketing Archive
·BD Touch and Metamenu Remote
·Lionsgate Live™ enabled, featuring extra content for Internet-connected players
·Enhanced for D-Box™ Motion Control Systems
*Subject to change

DISC TWO
·Standard Definition DVD Copy of the feature film

DISC THREE
·Standard Definition Digital Copy of the feature film

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES*

·Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Matthew Vaughn
·"It's On! The Comic Book Origin of Kick-Ass" featurette
·"The Art of Kick-Ass" gallery
·Marketing Archive

Welcome to the 242nd Edition. I just got a part in the show ARSENIC AND OLD LACE at the Anderson Mainstage Theatre as Lieutenant Rooney and this will be my third show at Mainstage. I have my first rehearsal tomorrow. This week I have one selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and next week will have none.

Ned Kelly (2003): I start the week out with part three of my four-part Heath Ledger series. This is my western for the week where Heath plays the title character. Ned Kelly was a real-life outlaw in Australia who is a folk hero there, I suppose like Jesse James is here where he is painted as a Robin Hood. In this film, Ned Kelly is the son of an outlaw so authorities automatically suspect he is a criminal where a corrupt cop exaggerates a story which makes Kelly a very high priced wanted criminal. He then goes on the run with his family and some friends to clear their names. Geoffrey Rush plays the officer brought in to bring in Kelly. Other actors include Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts, Rachel Griffiths, Joel Edgerton and many others. I watched this instantly on Netflix and while this is not really my favorite Genre, Ledger conveyed the part pretty well leading to quite a showdown at the end. It was also interesting to see that the town was very loyal to him even though they knew they could collect a lot of money. Mick Jagger played the part in a 1970 movie of the same name but I not seen it.

An Education (2009): This is part one of a two-part Emma Thompson series. This is one of those coming of age films where Carey Mulligan stars as Jenny, a student in London who is working like crazy to get into Oxford because that is what her parents want. She then meets a man twice her age named David, played by Peter Sarsgaard, who has quite a charm and even makes her parents like him. He is able to convince her parents that he just wants to expose her to the culture of England. This makes Jenny then pretty much throw everything away feeling this is the excitement she has never experienced but has a decision to make when she discovers the truth about David. Alfred Molina plays her father who is determined to see her go to Oxford but takes that liking to David. Emma Thompson plays the headmistress who does not like Jenny getting involved with an older man. This is a pretty good independent film and I thought it moved pretty well where we see that sometimes education is actually a little important. Sarsgaard was good in his first time in a film to receive top-billing which in my opinion really means nothing.

Barbarella (1968): This is my selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this week I chose Silicon. This is my guilty pleasure of the week. Jane Fonda stars as the title character who is a 41st century space traveler who is out to save the world from the evil Durand-Durand and yes this is where the great 80s band Duran Duran got their name. This is a peaceful galaxy until Durand-Durand threatens to bring evil back. Along the way she meets some very interesting people and some strange sexual devices where one can be driven to death by torture. The highlight in my opinion is the strip scene in the beginning. This is actually based on a French comic strip.

Guys and Dolls (1955): This is my musical for the week and while I have seen this years ago, I did not remember much and I love watching the movie after I have done a play and not during. As many know, I just got done with this show not too long ago where I played Harry the Horse. Joseph Mankiewicz directed this film adaptation to the classic musical where all the gamblers are in town wanting to be a part of Nathan Detroit's "oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York" but Detroit, played by Frank Sinatra, has a hard time setting it up with his lack of money and his police rival Brannigan trying to put a stop to him. Detroit is also dealing with the pressure of this 14 year engagement to Adelaide, played by Vivian Blaine. Big-time gambler Sky Masterson, played by Marlon Brando, comes into town and Nathan makes a $1000 bet that he cannot take mission girl Sarah Brown, played by Jean Simmons, to Havana but he ends up falling for her instead, something a gambler should never do. Sinatra, Blaine, and Simmons were all very well-cast in their parts but Marlon Brando was cast in the part that has a lot of musical numbers and does not have the greatest singing voice of all time which apparently caused some real-life tension between him and Sinatra. The person who would have been great for the part was Gene Kelly who was sought for the part but MGM would not lend him to the Goldwyn studio. That was the best choice and it is not even a Fred Astaire role. Sheldon Leonard played the part of Harry the Horse that I played in the recent show and his characterization of the character reminded me a lot of what years later would be Marlon Brando in THE GODFATHER. There are lots of good music numbers like LUCK BE A LADY, SIT DOWN YOU'RE ROCKING THE BOAT, and an added song for the movie called ADELAIDE which at a rehearal Mark, who played Detroit in our version, and Geoff, who was Big Jule, spontaneously worked into the show in a very hilarious way. Other facebook friends in our show were Evan, Jimmy, Patrick, Ryan, Kelly, Elizabeth, Bradley, Zach, Ryan, Diane, our great costumer Norma, and if I missed anyone I am sorry.

Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006): This is one that was suggested to me by my Facebook friend Zach and I had it on Netflix but he was very persistent to get me to watch it and then Ed and Marshall both went in with him who are to my knowledge three people who have never met in real life but have the common interest of getting me to watch this movie so I shot it up to the top of Netflix with no regrets. This is an interesting film that looks at an afterlife for people who commit suicide. We first have Patrick Fugit who stars as Zia and breaks up with his girlfriend Desiree, played by Leslie Bibb, and commits suicide. He is then in a world of people who committed suicide where he works at a pizza place, has a weird roommate and is in a world he really does not like very well. He then learns that Desiree killed herself before he did and sets off with his new friend a Russian guitarist, played by Shea Whigham, and a hitchhiker named Mikal, played by Shannyn Sossaman, who is looking for the "man-in-charge" claiming she did not commit suicide but overdosed. This was a very clever film and pretty well-written. It is pretty moving even though it deals with suicide.

James and the Giant Peach (1996): This is my Disney film for the week which I watched instantly on Netflix. James, played by Paul Terry, is an orphan who has been raised by his very mean aunts. He then sees a peach which is in the title and meets many bug friends including the spider he saved. This movie starts out as live action and then becomes animated when James goes into the peach. James always wanted to see New York so that is where James and his new friends set off to go see. Randy Newman wrote some pretty good music numbers. Some of the actors lending their voice are Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss, FRAZIER alum Jane Leeves, and many others. This is one of many Disney greats where we learn that friendship can come in many forms.

The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979): I was having a hard time finding something from this era and decided that I wanted to find something in animation but have already used Disney so I checked the great Roku player and found this one. This is a Looney Tunes movie where Bugs is kind of the host and talks to us about chases and then plays various classic Looney Tunes shorts that convey this chase theme and has all our other friends like Daffy, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, and has a very funny short with cavemen in the beginning. The one I did not know about was TO HARE IS HUMAN where Wile E. Coyote is after Bugs and Wile actually speaks. I have not watched Looney Tunes this in depth in a long time but realize how wonderfully irrelevant these cartoons are and how no messages really get shoved down our throats just some great cartoon violence. This also gives a brief history on Warner Brothers.

Too Many Wives (1937): This was the matter of having a hard time finding something from this era and saw on TCM they were having a marathon with this Anne Shirley so I decided on this one. She was a child actress all grown up. John Morley stars as Barry who is looking for a job and gladly accepts a job as the fall guy for a newspaper and saves them from many jams. Shirley plays his love interest who works for the paper and is not sure if having this fall guy is a good idea. I can tell this is hard to obtain as even imdb only has 16 votes but was an okay 61 minute b-movie.

Angel on My Shoulder (1946): I found this on the Colours network and jumped on the chance to feature Paul Muni on this blog. I feel he is the most underrated actor from that era and deserves as much exposure as people like Bogart, Gable, and Tracy. Paul Muni stars as deceased gangster Eddie Kagle who when he was killed, ends up in hell where Claude Rains plays the devil whose name is Nick. Nick arranges for Eddie to take over the body of his look-alike who is a respected judge. Eddie accepts this seeing a chance to avenge his murder. However, his actions result in good rather than evil much to the dismay of Nick who is trying to ruin the judge's reputation. Anne Baxter co-stars as the judge's love interest who Eddie starts to like as well. I really enjoyed this one and the scenes of hell were pretty good too.

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006): This is my war film for the week which was directed by Clint Eastwood which was his second WW2 film for the year and the other being FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. This movie is taken from the Japanese side and focuses on the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Japan. Ken Watanabe stars as General Kuribayashi who is part of a nearly impossible battle for the Japanese. This is a very movie takes a good perspective from the Japanese side and another great one in the career of Clint Eastwood who as far as I'm concerned deserves all the credit he gets.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you hate. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes Maggie Smith, more Emma Thompson, more Heath Ledger, and many others.

The movie version of the 80’s television show “The A-Team” has finally made its way to the big screen, and it is one of those examples of how (as U2 put it in the song “Numb”) too much is not enough. The plot is razor thin, and the stunts defy all things we see as logically possible. And you know what? I HAD SUCH A BLAST WATCHING IT!!! Many reviewers have been bemoaning that the movie was not what it could have been. I on the other hand prefer to see it for what it is, a highly entertaining film and the kind of movie you can usually expect at theaters during the summertime.

Click here to read the full review

Welcome to the 244th Edition of my blog. As promised I decided to make this an all-documentary edition. Please don't expect me to do this every week but after realizing I haven't used much documentaries lately and after coming up with ideas to use more than usual, I just decided to use all documentaries. They are the same as other editions in terms of the year range and sub-plot. I know my dad will like the way this is put together and hopefully like my selections. This is probably the hardest one I ever put out trying to follow my rules but here is my end result. Some of what I watched goes into the next few weeks.

Triumph of the Will (1935): I start this out with this documentary on Nazi Propaganda. Leni Riefenstahl was the director of this documentary where she had a lot of say and freedom from Hitler and the Nazi party. This takes place during a 1934 Nazi rally in Nuremberg, Germany where just about all of Germany seemed to come out and support their political leaders starting with Hitler, but also Himmler, Goebbels and many others. There was a lot of footage on the German people and the leaders and then speeches from many politicians in the Nazi Party accompanied by a really good music score making it look like there is nothing better than being in Nazi Germany which we know now is not true. No matter how we see them, Riefenstahl did a great job getting this footage and editing it so well making this the most significant piece of Nazi Propaganda with influential techniques towards other documentaries. It also showed Hitler's uncanny ability to entice a crowd into believing in what he wants. Riefenstahl took the controversy up to her death in 2003. Riefenstahl is said to have made this under Hitler's promise that she did not have to do any more Nazi documentaries and that she could return to acting. She did continue to film for them in the future. She denies intentionally making a pro-Nazi propaganda film but many disagree. No matter how anyone looks at it, she is one of the first successful female filmmakers who was very influential towards later directors. This is pretty easy to obtain as it is available on Netflix and I got it at my local library. It is something that should be viewed to see things that made the Nazi party rise the way it did. This is one of them and they knew how to use propaganda to get what they wanted which lead to some pretty horrific things.

All My Babies (1953): This is actually an educational film used to educate lower-class wives in southern United States. It takes a look at Miss Mary who helped deliver about 3,000 babies in her life. It also shows the hardship of these lower-class families who don't have the greatest healthcare. I got this one from Netflix and it's less than an hour since it was originally an educational film produced by the Georgia Department of Public Health.

With Byrd at the South Pole(1930): This is another I got off Netflix which is an Oscar-winning documentary on naval officer Richard Byrd's successful flight over Antarctica. This covers the boat trip to the South Pole, the calling it "Little America" and the flight. It was mostly a silent film with narration at the beginning. It also shows some pretty humorous scenes with penguins. It is still pretty watchable after all these years.

Woodstock (1970): This chronicles the infamous three-day rock concert that was a big financial flop but is immortalized with this film into pop culture. Michael Wadleigh directed this counter-culture film in the small town of Bethel, NY which featured a very diverse group of acts like Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Arlo Guthrie, and many others leading up to the great guitar work of Jimi Hendrix who did a great guitar version of THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER. Martin Scorsese also helped out with the film and the editing giving some very good end footage which featured scenes from multiple angles many times. They also interviewed a lot of the hippie audience members and the fun they had even when it rained. It's an event that has never been matched even with the Woodstock '94 and '99. There were about 500,000 people that turned out for this financial failure that would be made up with things like this movie.

Land of Silence and Darkness (1971): German director Werner Herzog directed this foreign documentary which focuses on Fini Straubinger who became both blind and deaf in her teen years. In her later years, she tries to help and educate others who are blind and deaf and help them understand their difficult world. Straubinger also talks about when she became deaf and blind and her own struggles when that happened. This is such a well-done documentary and remarkable work from Straubinger who communicates very well with others who are deaf and blind which some were actually born that way. It can be hard to watch sometimes but this movie raises a lot of awareness of people with this disability. People who can't see can at least learn by the sound around them. People who can't hear can at least learn through sight. However, people who cannot do either must learn more through touch. Some of the people here became deaf and blind later in their life but others were born with this where teaching them is very difficult. I wish I could find more information on Fini Straubinger but most I can find was from this movie.

Wisconsin Death Trip (1999): I found this one instantly on Netflix. Ian Holm narrates this documentary about a Wisconsin town in late 19th Century based on a non-fiction novel by Michael Lesy. This film uses a lot of pictures from the century and news articles in the small town about things like murder and suicide and what could have lead to it. The cinematography and the images were great. I'm not sure how accurate this movie is since I could not find much on it. It is still very dark and interesting so pretty watchable for me.

Jesus Camp (2006): Another one that came to me via instant Netflix and all I had to say was "WOW". This takes place at an Evangelical camp held by Becky Fischer, a Pentacostal minister who is training young children in their quest towards Jesus. This seemed like some pretty extreme stuff here with these children promising not to sin and being driven to tears. We also have Christian radio host Mike Papantonio who is not a big fan of this practice and lets know through his radio show. In the camp, there was a pretty interesting scene where a cardboard cutout of George W. Bush is presented to the children so that they can pray for him and even speak to the cardboard cutout. What I learned from these kids are things like where God only goes to some of the churches but not the ones that that just sing a few songs and then say a sermon. He goes to the ones like they have which were rather extreme to me. I don't usually pay close attention to the viewer comments on imdb.com but the one that was looking at this states he was an ordained minister and was very appalled by what he saw. Some people may give me heat for this but the documentary presents itself in a pretty unbiased form where not much editing could have been done. My mom's boyfriend was watching this with me and he is a religious person but also said that what they were doing to the children was not right. It was absolutely worth a view.

Hart and Soul: The Hart Family Anthology (2010): I decided to use a WWE wrestling documentary for this one. This takes place of the large Canadian wrestling family which starts with the legendary Stu Hart who along with his wife Helen had 12 kids, many of the sons having wrestling careers including the two most famous of Bret and Owen. This takes a look at the rise of Stu Hart, then it has segments on all 12 Hart children, focuses on some of the in-laws including "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith and Jim "The Anvil Neidhart, and then talks about the third generation including David Hart Smith, Natalya Neidhart, Teddy Hart, and Tyson Kidd who was more of a family friend but seems to be included as a Hart as he is part of the Hart Dynasty. I really liked learning about the others besides Bret and Owen. It also looks at the tragedy that they have had to go through like with the son Dean Hart, Owen Hart, and Davey Boy Smith.

King Corn (2007): This is also available via instant Netflix where Ian Cheney and Curtis Ellis who take a very interesting look at our obesity problem and research what is leading to it. They focus on as the title says corn. They visit a lot of farms and find that corn is one of the biggest moneymakers but it is not always used for nutrition as it is used for corn syrup which is used in many of our products including our fast food. This was a pretty straight-forward documentary where information was all that was needed and nothing real dramatic happened. This was shown at Muncie Civic Theater once where i could not make it. I'm not quite sure what the reason was but I'm glad I was able to watch this.

Frontline: Flying Cheap (2010): I know this is more of a tv episode of the long-running PBS documentary series but I was desperate for my last one and jumped to this one when I saw it on instant Netflix. This episode takes a look at a plane crash which was a cheaper airline and makes the point that sometimes cheaper is not always better. It was a pretty good look at the airline industry.

Well, that is it for this week. I go back to normal next week which so far includes movies from Kirsten Dunst, Joan Crawford, Demi Moore, Elizabeth Taylor, and many others including one of the documentaries intended for this week. The first six listed were the only ones I originally intended to use.

Magnolia Pictures recently send us over information and material regarding one of their upcoming releases “The Extra Man” starring Kevin Kline, Paul Dano and Katie Homes. The film is directed by Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman (American Splendor).

A sophisticated and moving comedy, THE EXTRA MAN follows Louis Ives (Paul Dano), a lonely dreamer who fancies himself the hero of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel... When a deeply embarrassing incident forces him to leave his job at an exclusive Princeton prep school, Louis heads to New York City to make a fresh start. He quickly finds a nine-to-five job at an environmental magazine, where he encounters an entrancing, green-obsessed co-worker Mary (Katie Holmes). But it's Louis' new home life that really sparks his imagination. He rents a room in the ramshackle apartment of Henry Harrison (Kevin Kline), a penniless, wildly eccentric but brilliant playwright. When Henry's not dancing alone to obscure music or singing operettas, he's performing - with great panache - the duties of an "extra man", a social escort for the wealthy widows of Manhattan high society. These two men, separated in age by more than forty years, develop a volatile mentor/apprentice relationship. Through a series of urban adventures where they encounter everything from a leaping lion to a wildly jealous hirsute neighbor, from drunken nonagenarians to a shady Swiss hunchback, Louis and Henry form a memorable bond that bridges their differences.

“The Extra Man” is available now through your VOD provider. The film will also hit theaters in limited release on July 30th.

"The Extra Man" Official Trailer

Camp Motion Pictures recently announced that they will release the upcoming anthology horror film "Faces of Schlock on September 21st.

The Ultimate Cheesy, Sleazy, Boobs-and-Blood-Soaked Homage to ‘80s Horror!

“Blood Witch”

Obsessed with revenge, a young woman uses occult powers to summon a seventeenth century witch to perform diabolical deeds. Directed by Andrew Shearer, starring Monica Puller and Countess Samela

“Mike Wuz Here”

The night shift at an old movie theater becomes a terrifying game of cat-and-mouse when the ghost of a suicide haunts the century-old building. Directed by Justin Channell, starring Josh Lively, Zane Crosby and TJ Rogers

“One Foot in the Grave”

When malpractice results in the loss of a beautiful young dancer’s foot, she reanimates the appendage by black magic for a horrifying revenge! Directed by Chris LaMartina, starring George Stover (John Waters' “Hairspray”) and Sara Cole.

“Slay Ride”

Abandoned by her family on Christmas Eve, a delinquent teenage girl is sucked into a frenzied spree of sex, murder and mayhem. Directed by Henrique Couto, starring Ruby LaRocca (The Lost, Lord of the G-Strings) and Sandy Behre.


DVD CONTENTS

Faces Of Schlock Feature: 105 minutes TRT: 208 minutes
Audio Commentary
Behind the Scenes Featurettes: 22 minutes
Outtakes and Bloopers: 20 minutes
World Premiere Featurette: 25 minutes
Cinema Wasteland 2009 Featurette: 30 minutes
Schlock Rock Music Video featuring Jasper the Colossal: 3 minutes
Official Trailer: 3 minutes
Website bonus material!

"Faces of Schlock hits stores on September 21 at the suggested retail price of $14.98

Shock-O Rama Cinema recently send us information regarding their upcoming Suburban Psycho Horror Collection, which hits stores on August 24th.

Torture, Murder, Demon curses and the living dead, just another day in the burbs. The Suburban Psycho Horror Collection; Four deadly suburban features staring Misty Mundae, Debbie Rochon, Julian Wells, Tina Krause & Trent Haaga.

Suburban Nightmare (2004) – All-American, loving couple Charles and Deborah Rosenblad are concealing a very dark secret. Hidden in a basement filled with torture devices and human trophies lies their latest in a series of victims – a captive young girl.

Psycho Sisters (1998) – Traumatized siblings Jackie and Jane re-enter society after years of psychiatric rehabilitation only to continue their horrific spree of torture, murder and mutilation.

Skin Crawl (2007) - Aided by his mistress, a greedy, philandering husband plans to murder his

wealthy wife unaware the act will trigger a centuries-old curse of demonic retribution.

Drainiac (2000) –Julie Ashbrook and friends begin renovations on a run-down house in the rural New England countryside, only to be plagued by mysterious injuries and inexplicable occurrences culminating in an all-out demonic attack.

Disc Content includes:

Disc 1 : Skin Crawl Feature Film, Under Your Skin (Interview with the cast and crew) Coming Soon Trailer Vault, Shock-O-Rama Trailer Vault

Disc 2: Drainiac Feature Film, Trailer Vault

Disc 3: Psycho Sisters Feature Film, Profile of Director Peter Jacelone, The Psycho Sisters Story, On the Set of Psycho Sisters, Deleted Scene 1, Deleted Scene 2, Trailer Vault 1, Trailer Vault 2

Disc 4: Suburban Nightmare Feature Film , The Victims, The World of the Killers, The Mind of the Killers, On The Set, The Torture Room

The "Suburban Psycho Horror Collection" will be available on August 24th at the SRP of $24.98

Welcome to the 241st Edition of my blog. There is not much going on for me right now so let's just get on with the list. Get your Netflix and Blockbuster queues and follow along.

Goodfellas (1990): I start out the week with some Martin Scorsese co-wrote the screenplay with Nicolas Pileggi who wrote the novel this movie is based on called WISE GUY which is based on the life of Henry Hill, who is played so well by Ray Liotta in this film. We first meet Henry as a child whose parents were in a bad marriage and were rather abusive towards him sometimes. He then begins to envy the life of a mobster who he saw many of in his area of town and wanted to be just like them. He joined up with the Lucchese family but could not move up real high in the family because he was not full Italian. Robert De Niro plays one of Hill's mentors Jimmy Morrow whose real name was Jimmie Burke. Joe Pesci plays Tommy Devito, whose real name is Thomas DeSimone, who moved up along with Henry but was far more violent. SOPRANOS alum Lorraine Bracco plays Henry's wife and Paul Sorvino plays hill's mentor Paul Cicero whose real name was Paul Vario, who is very dismayed when Henry gets into the drug trade which I always say is the Mafia's biggest downfall. I am not really sure of the reason to rename so many people except Henry himself but that is something I can totally let go with the quality of this film. This is ranked as one of the greatest Mafia films of all time and is very authentic as there were a lot of people who knew the main characters on the set. The real-life Henry Hill has been in the limelight a lot where he has been on THE HOWARD STERN SHOW and is a restaurant owner. He also has known alcohol problems. Other actors in this film include Debi Mazar, Frank Vincent, SOPRANOS alums Michael Imperioli and Tony Sirico, Illeana Douglas, and Samuel L. Jackson. This is not the love story that some mob movies tend to focus on, this is a violent film which really does not glorify life in the mafia.

Valkyrie (2008): I saw this movie at Muncie Public Library so I was finally able to go see one of these movies. Our favorite Scientologist Tom Cruise stars as Nazi officer Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg who lead a real-life assassination attempt to kill Adolf Hitler feeling he must save Germany from Hitler. We then go onto see how Stauffenberg's obsession with killing Hitler affects his personal and family life. Cruise portrayed this part very well and the rest of the supporting cast did very well too including Kenneth Branaugh, Tom Wilkinson, Terrance Stamp, Eddie Izzard and many others. This is a great historical film and should be watched at least once. As you might guess, it is pretty violent but manages a PG-13 rating.

The Son of the Sheik (1926): This is my silent film for the week which stars Rudolph Valentino in a dual role as father and son and unfortunately died right after this one. This is the sequel to his classic THE SHEIK. Valentino stars as Ahmed who falls in love with Yasmin, a dancing girl who fronts a gang ran by her father. Her father then captures Ahmed and tortures him making him believe she had him captured. After his escape he must then piece together what happened and leads into some pretty good action scenes.

The Last House on the Left (1972): I go from Valentino's last film to Wes Craven's directorial debut. This is a pretty decent horror film where we have two girls going to a rock concert and want to score some pot. However, they turn to the wrong people who then take the girls hostage and put them through a lot of torture. The low-budget really works in the film and especially the camerawork. This was a pretty good start to Craven's great career and is good for a horror fan to watch. My favorite was near the end when a girl's parents are looking for her.

Eyes Without a Face (1959): I see I have focused a lot on violence lately and even have used a lot of the horror genre as here I use one from France directed by Georges Franju. Here, we have a surgeon named Dr. Genessier whose daughter's face was disfigured in an accident who must then wear a mask. With help of his assistant Louise, he kidnaps young girls hoping to be able to replace the face of his daughter but with no success but never gives up. This was a very well-told film and does a very good job focusing on the characters but like the first four I have shown have their audience which is not everyone.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964): This is my French musical for the week which was directed by Jacques Demy. Catherine Deneuve stars as Genevieve, a 17 year old living with her widowed mother that owns an umbrella shop. Nino Castelnuovo plays Guy, a car mechanic who Genevieve meets and falls in love with much to the dismay of her mother. She becomes pregnant but before she can tell him, he gets drafted to the army breaking away their relationship. She tries to wait for him but finally gives into her mother and accepts a marriage proposal from a gem dealer. When Guy comes back after being wounded he must adjust to all the changes. I remember seeing this years back and really enjoying it so it was great to revisit. The whole movie is singing in French and it flows so well.

Once Upon a Time in China (1991): This is my favorite Jet Li film and ranks pretty high in my list for martial arts films. Tsui Hark directs this film based on the Chinese legend Wong Fei-Hung who might be the most frequently played character in Hong Kong history and here is played by Jet Li but has also been played by people like Gordon Liu, Jackie Chan, and Sammo Hung. Fei-Hung is a physician and runs a martial arts school of misfits. His Aunt Yee has returned all westernized which Fei-Hung is making a hard time with the transition of China turning to the Western ways. This especially happens when he has battles with his local government and some of the Americans involved where we see how a man adjusts to such changing times. This was followed by five sequels of which part four and five, Jet Li did not appear and did appear in the one called ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA AND AMERICA which as far as I am concerned is the original SHANGHAI NOON.

The Male Animal (1942): I found this Henry Fonda film on TCM. Fonda plays Professor Tommy Turner who is about to read a very controversial piece which is causing an uproar in the university. He wants to read a piece on Vanzetti who was condemned as an anarchist and traitor and was sentenced to die. Olivia de Havilland plays his younger wife Ellen who also does not want Tommy to read his piece. Also her ex-boyfriend football player comes back to town causing an uproar before the big game and making Tommy suspect there is more to their friendship. This is a pretty good comedy and a very funny scene of the football player demonstrating a play with dishes. It also is good showing a man fighting for our freedom of speech which can remain very significant today.

Candy (2006): This is part two of at least three in my Heath Ledger series which might be a four-part series. In here Heath plays a poet who falls in love with an art student of the title character who is played very well by Abbie Cornish. They soon get hooked on each other but even worse on drugs who do what they must to live and have a very destructive relationship. Geoffrey Rush plays a professor who supplies them with their drugs but wants them to stop. This is a movie driven by characters and performances by these three people. This is a pretty depressing film at times so use your judgment when watching.

Dressed to Kill (1980): I end this week with this thriller directed by Brian De Palma. We must deal with serial murders and one of which a prostitute, played by Nancy Allen, witnesses but she also becomes a suspect. Michael Caine plays a psychiatrist to one of the victims. Keith Gordon plays Peter, who is the son of one of the victims out to find the killer. NYPD BLUE alum Dennis Franz plays the unsympathetic cop assigned to the case. This was a pretty effective horror film in some ways in the style of PSYCHO.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you don't like. Stay tuned next week for more Heath Ledger, Alfred Molina, Jane Fonda, Marlon Brando, Shannyn Sossamon, Susan Sarandon, and many others.

Welcome to the 240th edition of my blog. GUYS AND DOLLS had a great run but it is now over. It will be a difficult adjustment for a week but I'll be fine. I am once again writing this at the last minute so forgive me if my writing seems a bit rushed. I have one selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process. Next week will likely have none. Get your Netflix and Blockbuster queues and read on.

Lilies of the Field (1963): Sidney Poitier stars in this film as Homer, an unemployed construction worker who comes into a small town and encounters five nuns who speak very limited English. They believe he has been sent by God to make a church that is much needed. He agrees to help a little bit but intends to move on but then with them not understanding his English and his heart, he stays to build this church. This movie moved very well for me on account of Sidney Poitier who was very good in his part of someone who just could not bring himself to leave the nuns no matter how much he wanted to leave. Poitier won best actor for this film and agreed to less of a salary in order to be in the movie.

The Wild Bunch (1969): This is a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose Producer Phill. This is my western for the week which ranks very high in the western genre. Sam Peckinpah directed this western which shows an aging group of outlaws who decide to do one more job which then results in a very violent shootout. It is an interesting look at people who cannot really adjust to the changing times with the technology and the ending of the wild west. William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates, Robert Ryan, and many others star in this iconic western. This is not a very upbeat film and it is also very violent but also realistic.

High Fidelity (2000): Steven Frears directed this movie which stars John Cusack as Rob who is the owner of a small-time record store whose girlfriend dumps him. Rob then decides to make a top 5 list of his worst breakups to see what happened that made them want to leave. Jack Black and Todd Louiso co-star as his socially inept employees who bring a lot of comic relief as well as Cusack as there are lots of good music discussions in this movie. Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Natasha Gregson-Wagner, and Joan Cusack all co-star in this great film of the music scene and a mid-life crisis with a great performance from John Cusack.

Grave of the Fireflies (1988): The Facebook friend I chose for this one was Yu-Ching who was our great piano accompanist during BIG RIVER. I also know that my friend John will like that I have done two weeks in a row with Anime films. This one is regarded as one of the best anime films by many. In this movie, we focus on the teenage Setsuko and his 4 year old sister Seita who are living in WW2 Japan and struggle to survive as their mother has died in an air raid and their father's status in the war is unknown. This is a rather sad film at times but can be inspirational and is quite different from a lot of Anime films where there is not much of the supernatural. It is really a story of the cost of a war and the lost innocence of these children where the teen was forced to grow up but really could not and the little girl who could not really act her age. Ayiyuki Nosaka wrote this book after losing his sister whose death he blamed himself for.

The Four Feathers (2002): This is part one of what might be a multiple part Heath Ledger series. Shekhar Kapur directs this film based on the novel by A.E.W. Mason. There are actually many versions of this film but I have not seen any. This takes place in a war in 1894 in Sudan where the British are fighting a war with some rebels in the country. Heath Ledger stars as Harry Fevelsham who is a British officer who resigns and then his fiancee, played by Kate Hudson, and three other friends each give him a white feather which symbolized cowardice. What they do not know is that he is then going undercover which might earn redemption. Wes Bentley and Djimon Hounsou also co-star in this story on another film in this that kind of shows the price of war with Ledger good in the lead and even Hudson was pretty good in this film.

I Love Sarah Jane (2008): This is my short film for the week which I got off the IFC channel for their GRINDHOUSE SHORT FILMS. This short takes place in a Zombie ridden world where children appear to have to fend for themselves. In their zombie quest, Jimbo becomes more obsessed with winning over a young girl named Sarah Jane. This was actually a pretty good 14 minutes so check it out if you can find it.

Gentleman (1993): This is my Bollywood film for the week which holds its place in history as the first Tamil-language spoken film. I'd be lying if I said I totally got this movie but we have a certain modern-day Robin Hood who wants to help provide education to the poor by taking from the rich. With Bollywood, their movies are long, colorful and have some very lavish song and dance numbers. There was also a very interesting fight scene that takes place in the balls of a Chuck-e-Cheese type place. Some of the musical numbers seemed rather unrelated but the movie still provided some entertainment. I found this on Netflix.

The Giant Gila Monster (1959): This is my sci-fi B-movie for the week which I found on the Colours network. This takes place in a small town in Texas where there is a giant lizard who is wreaking havoc all over town. The Sheriff with the other townspeople must band together to stop this lizard. This is something to check out when you have a bunch of people over. If you want a great movie with a good plot and acting, this might not be it.

The Enchanted Cottage (1945): I found this one on TCM. This was a nice love story where we first have a homely maid named Laura, played by Dorothy McGuire, who is not the most physical attractive person in other people's minds and especially hers. Robert Young stars as Oliver Bradford who is just getting back from the war and is scarred so does not feel he has much to live for. When they first meet they are not attracted to each other but as they get to know each other, they understand each other and slowly falling in love becoming beautiful to each other which begins to show the beauty in the characters we do not see where the title of the movie comes into play. This was a beautiful story and a very enchanted one as well.

Anna Karenina (1935): I now go to a more tragic love story that I found on TCM which is one of many film adaptations of the Leo Tolstoy novel. Greta Garbo stars as the title character who is very unhappily married to the authoritarian Karenin, played by Basil Rathbone. She falls in love with Count Vronsky, played by Fredric March, who is willing to take the risk of being with her even though Karenin will not grant a divorce. Freddie Bartholomew plays their son Sergei and Maureen O'Sullivan plays Anna's sister Kitty. I think this takes place in the 1800s and is an interesting look at the social situations of the country. Garbo and Bartholomew have some good interactions and Rathbone is perfect for his part and we had quite an ending. I thought this was a pretty good love story but it's hard to explain.

Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you hate and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Robert De Niro, Tom Cruise, Rudolph Valentino, Wes Craven, Jet Li, and many others.

Music Box Films recently released the poster for one of the summer's most anticipated foreign films, "The Girl Who Played With Fire". It's the second installment in the “Millennium” trilogy staring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist.

In THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE – the second installment in the “Millennium” trilogy following THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Mikael Blomkvist is about to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation between Eastern Europe and Sweden, implicating well-known and highly placed members of Swedish society. On the eve of publication, the two investigating reporters are murdered and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to Lisbeth Salander.

"The Girl Who Played With Fire" hits theaters in limited release on July 9th.

Focus Features recently send us over the official trailer and poster for the new Anton Corbijn film "The Americian" staring George Clooney.

Academy Award winner George Clooney stars in the title role of this suspense thriller, filmed on location in Italy. Alone among assassins, Jack (played by Mr. Clooney) is a master craftsman. When a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, he vows to his contact that his next assignment will be his last. Jack reports to the Italian countryside, where he holes up in a small town and relishes being away from death for a spell. The assignment, as specified by a Belgian woman, Mathilde (Thekla Reuten of “In Bruges”), is in the offing as a weapon is constructed. Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto (Italian stage and screen veteran Paolo Bonacelli) and pursues romance with local woman Clara (Italian leading lady Violante Placido). But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.

The film is written by Rowan Joffe (“28 Weeks Later”) and is based on the novel A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth

"The American" hit theaters on September 1st.

"The American" Official Trailer"

Worm
Year: 2010
Director: Richard Powell
Studio: Fatal Pictures
Stars: Robert Nolan
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 16 Mins
Official Website: http://www.myspace.com/wormthemovie




"Worm is the second film from Richard Powell, who directed the chilling short film "Consumption", which I reviewed last year.

"Worm" focuses on the mind of a troubled high school teacher. Geoffrey Oswald Dodd. It takes place during the course of a typical school day as you get an insight into the darkest depths of the human mind. Inside Dodd's mind lies something that is dark, troubling and foul rotting him the inside out. Soon, his mind and thoughts get so dark that it may put him on the brink on self-destruction and insanity.

"Worm" is a chilling film that goes into the psyche of a troubled person. Writer/ Director Richard Powell does a good job making this film have its eerie and intense tone, as it's makes you think that something bad is about to happen. The reason that I got this feeling was the way Powell directs everything. His direction helps make the film focus on the character's state of mind. He does that by making the actions of the main actions, so neurotic that you think that the character is going to snap at any moment. Another reason that I had that feeling was the way that Powell makes his main actor talk, when he goes into monologue mode. By having the demented attitude in those monologue, it really makes everything in the film chilling. Powell does that in the performance, so that you think that this character can lose his mind at any moment and do something shocking and unforgivable.

Powell's screenplay has the edginess in this screenplay that made his first short film "Consumption" successful. I thought he did a very good job making everything have a certain edginess feeling towards the action. It helps make everything entertaining to the point that your into the story. But what makes the story good was the fact that Powell tells the story from the main character's state of mind. By doing that, it makes this film feel like of a character's study, instead of a film that just goes down a road where nothing happens and you're bored to death. I also liked how Powell wrote the dialogue. Most of it comes off as mean spirited, but I think that it was needed to achieve the state of the character's mind in the that he rants in the monologues. By also doing that with the dialogue, it give the character that demented feel that is needed to make you guess if he's going to over the edge and act out on those thoughts.

"Worm" is a demented character study that gives you that chilling feel that keeps your interest thought.

Review Rating: Four Stars

Welcome to the 239th Edition of my long running series. I just finished the second weekend of GUYS AND DOLLS. It's been a great show, we have one more weekend of performances so go to http://ibelfry.org for information on ordering tickets. Forgive any lackluster writing I might do since I have not really been writing on this much this week and am putting this together on the spot.

Novecento (1976): This is my epic film for this week which was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and stars a young Robert De Niro and Gerard Depardieu. This movie takes place during Fascist Italy from 1900 to 1945. Depardieu plays a peasant and De Niro plays a wealthy land owner. This movie focuses on these characters on what the events of Italy do to tear them apart. Other people in this film include Sterling Hayden, Burt Lancaster, and Donald Sutherland. It is a very long film so give yourself time to watch it and you might find it rather rewarding.

Flash Gordon (1980): This is a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose Johnny Devine who has worked a lot for TNA wrestling. This is an updated version of the legendary hero where Sam J. Jones stars as the title character who is a quarterback from the New York Jets who becomes a hero when ending up in the planet Mongo and must go up against Ming the Merciless, played by Max Von Sydow. Topol, Melody Anderson, Timothy Dalton, Richard O'Brien and many others also co-star. There is also a great theme song to this movie by Queen. This was just a great one for me to watch with the special effects for the time, the imagery and the action.

Black Christmas (1974): This is a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose my loyal reader Jeremy the Critic. I know we're a little ways away from Christmas but I had to check this one out when it presented itself to me. This is the worst Christmas for the girls in a sorority house when a psycho is out making prank calls and killing people at the house one by one so they must find out who is killing everyone. Olivia Hussey, who is most known for playing Juliet in the 1968 film ROMEO and JULIET, and Margot Kidder, most known for playing Lois Lane in the SUPERMAN films in the '70s and '80s, both co-star in what some call the first slasher film. John Saxon also co-stars as the cop investigating the murders.

House of 1000 Corpses (2003): The Facebook friend I chose for this week is Meredith who I went to school with and was a grade below me I believe. I might get some heat for this horror selection which is by no means for everyone and is the directorial debut of heavy metal star Rob Zombie. We first meet two young couples in Texas looking for Offbeat roadside attractions for a book. When their car breaks down, they get taken in my a family who turns out to be a lot of psychos who capture them and put them through all kinds of torture. THE OFFICE co-star Rainn Wilson, Sid Haig, Karen Black, THE SHIELD alum Walton Goggins, and others co-star in this film. Rob Zombie clearly put a lot of effort into this film and to be honest this is the first time I have seen a Rob Zombie film so this is his debut on this list. While it fell short among some horror fans, it is clearly a start for Zombie.

Princess Mononoke (1997): This is another selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose Fantasy Scribbler. This is part one of a two-part anime series and the next one will be featured next week. I know my friend John will like this. Hayao Miyazaki wrote and directed this Japanese animation film which we all come to know as anime. We start with the young warrior Ashitaka who while protecting his people is wounded with a deadly curse and is considered dead by his village. He then sets out for a cure by going to the far east and stumbles upon a war between animals of the forest and a group of humans trying to destroy the forest. Leading the animals is the brave Lady Eboshi who was raised by wolves. This movie has some great action and animation. Billy Crudup, Minnie Driver, X-FILES alum Gillian Anderson, MY SO-CALLED LIFE alum Claire Danes, Billy Bob Thornton, and many others lend their voices for the English track.

Hush (2009): This is actually a British horror film I found on IFC. In this film, we have Zakes and his girlfriend Beth who are out driving and end up angering a truck driver. Zakes then believes he sees a girl at the back of the truck who is bound and bloodied. Beth then makes him investigate what he saw. When at a service station he then finds that his girlfriend is missing. He is then the only witness towards anything and must convince the police of what he saw. This was a pretty decent thriller with William Ash in a pretty good performance as Zakes.

Murder on the Orient Express (1974): This is a murder mystery with quite the All-Star cast. Sidney Lumet directed this movie based on the novel by Agatha Christie which features one of her top detectives Hercule Poirot who is played by Albert Finney here. He is not intending to work as he is on board on a train intending to take it easy but then it becomes more complicated as there is a murder on the train and then the train is stopped due to the snow. Poirot is then asked to investigate by the head of the train in hopes of not having to deal too much with the police. Poirot then starts an investigation whose suspects include Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bissett, Anthony Perkins, Sean Connery, Michael York, Vanessa Redgrave, and many others. This is known to be the only film adaptation of her novel that she really liked and died after the premier. Finney is great as Poirot. He was known to play older characters believably at a young age as he was Ebenezer Scrooge around this time period and only in his '30s to play characters much older.

A Nous la Liberte (1931): This is my French film for the week which was written and directed by Rene Clair. This is a satire and musical which focuses on two escaped cons who have just escaped prison. One of them gets a good job as a factory owner and his friend who gets a job but then sees that it is not much different from prison life. This is a very interesting film that takes a look at the work conditions of the era. The musical numbers are pretty fun too. The distribution company actually put a lawsuit on Charlie Chaplin's 1936 classic MODERN TIMES which they claim Chaplin actually plagiarized their ideas. Rene Clair did not join in on the suit as he felt that if these charges were true they were a compliment since he very much admired Chaplin.

The Man With the Golden Arm (1955): Frank Sinatra stars in this film as Frankie Machine who is just being released from prison hoping to pursue a music career and not end up where he was. He finds that it is not easy as everyone is trying to get him back into the life of gambling and drugs. Eleanor Parker stars as his crippled wife who expects him to wait on her hand and foot and Kim Novak plays the much nicer Molly who likes him and his wife suspects her. I really enjoyed this performance of Frank Sinatra and shows the difficulty of going straight when returning to the same area. Darren McGavin, most known as "The Old Man" in A CHRISTMAS STORY, co-stars as Louie who is trying to get Frankie back in the game.

A Bout with a Trout (1941): I end with this animation short which features the character Little Lulu. Lulu decides to skip school and go fishing but then gets her conscience talking to her and the angel wants her to go to school and the other wants to play hookie but also meets all kinds of other interesting characters in a very entertaining cartoon. I have used a couple Little Lulu cartoons and prove to be very entertaining.

Well, that is it for this week. I seemed to focus a lot more on sci-fi and horror that what I usually do. Tell me what you like and what you hate and stay tuned next week which will include Sidney Poitier, William Holden, John Cusack, Heath Ledger, and many others.

FUN LITTLE FACTS

Gerard Depardieu (Novecento) plays Porthos in the 1998 film THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK. My Facebook friend Ed played the part in a production of THE THREE MUSKETEERS at the Muncie Civic Theater.

Richard O'Brien (Flash Gordon) plays Riff-Raff in the 1975 film THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. My Facebook friends Kevin, Cody, and Nic have all played the part in various productions at the Muncie Civic Studio Theater

JAMES BOND FRANCHISE
-Max Von Sydow (Flash Gordon) plays Bond's arch-enemy Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the 1983 film NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN.
-Topol (Flash Gordon) plays Bond's ally Milos Columbo in the 1981 Bond film FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
-Timothy Dalton (Flash Gordon) plays James Bond in two films in the late '80s. I know I'm one of few that likes Dalton's portrayal of Bond.
-Robbie Coltrane (Flash Gordon extra) plays Bond's uneasy ally Valentin Zukovsky in a couple Bond films in the '90s during the Pierce Brosnan era.
-Minnie Driver (Princess Mononoke) has a cameo as Zukovsky's singer girlfriend Irina in the 1995 Bond film GOLDENEYE.
-Andreas Wisniewski (Hush) plays the secondary villain Necros in the 1987 Bond film THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS.
-Sean Connery (Murder on the Orient Express) is the first James Bond and considered by many to be the best. He played the part in the '60s and early '70s.

Frank Sinatra (The Man with the Golden Arm) plays Nathan Detroit in the 1955 film GUYS AND DOLLS. My Facebook friend Mark plays the part in the production of the same name we are in right now at the Belfry Theatre.

Darren McGavin (The Man with the Golden Arm) plays The Old Man in the 1983 film THE CHRISTMAS STORY. Mark also played the Old Man in a production but not sure of the theater he did it at.

DIRECTED BY
Thunder Levin

STARRING
C. Thomas Howell - David
Tyshawn Bryant - G-Dog
Rachel Montez Collins - Latiffa
Gregory Allan Williams - Dr. Reginald Monte
Johanna Watts - Lisa
Robert Wu - Dragon
KeiKabou Holland - Larson
Maxie J. Santillan Jr. - Old Man

Genre - Horror/Comedy/Zombies

Running Time - 90 Minutes

Score - 3 Howls Outta 4


I spent quite some time in the 'hood, being from Brooklyn, New York. I've seen gang violence. I've seen drug dealing. I've seen some bad stuff go down. But never...and I do mean NEVER...have I've witnessed mutant vampire zombies in my 'hood.

Unless you count stoners. Then yes, I have seen MUTANT VAMPIRE ZOMBIES FROM THE 'HOOD. Anyway, read the review before I pop a cap in yo' ass, homey!

PLOT
In South Central, Los Angeles, a cop named David (C. Thomas Howell) and his partner hide out at the rafters of a warehouse where two rival gangs are meeting. The leader of the black gang, G-Dog (Tyshawn Bryant), wants to exchange drugs with the Asian gang leader, Dragon (Robert Wu), for his girl Latiffa (Rachel Montez Collins). The police bust goes bad, as David and his partner are outnumbered. While a shoot out occurs between the three groups, a huge solar flare hits Earth. Everyone in the warehouse is knocked unconscious because of it.

They all wake up hours later, only to find that the world has drastically changed. The solar flare seems to have mutated anyone in contact with it [meaning whoever was outdoors during the event] with its radiation, turning them into flesh-eating, blood-hungry zombies. The three rival gangs unite to take out this new species as they head to the safety of an astrophysicist (Gregory Allan Williams) and his really hot daughter (Johanna Watts), who seem to have the key to stopping these creatures and staying alive.

REVIEW
Now you may all be thinking: "With a title like MUTANT VAMPIRE ZOMBIES FROM THE 'HOOD, this film must really suck!", right? Fortunately, MVZFTH is actually a pretty good flick! It's funny. It's well-acted. And for a very low budget feature, it looks pretty damn cool! Who knew?

The screenplay for WVZFTH is surprisingly smart and well-written in general. Obviously, the film isn't original in its storytelling. If you've seen NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD or other popular zombie movies, you know how things supposed to go.

A: Some strange substance [gas, virus, solar flare] turns people into flesh-craving creatures.

B: A group of survivors who don't see eye-to-eye encounter these creatures, wondering what caused them and doing anything in their power to live.

C: They all group up in a safe place, disagreeing with how to do things to maintain their survival.

D: The creatures break into this safe place, putting the survivors' alliances to the test.

MVZFTH runs the same way, pretty much. It takes elements of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, mixed with NIGHT OF THE COMET, with an added sprinkle of 28 DAYS LATER to complete the stew. And it actually works for the most part. Not only are these films referenced, but so are NOSFERATU, ALIENS, and SNAKES ON A PLANE to various degrees of success. In fact, the Larson character [G-Dog's right hand man] is the Bill Paxton role from ALIENS, who's always terrified by the situation and rants about horror movies to express his points. These self-references shouldn't work as well as they do, but I found myself laughing at most of them. Color me surprised.

The dialogue is also pretty well written. The comedy is actually funny and there's hardly any exposition. When characters say something, the words actually move the story forward. There are also moments where stereotypes are thrown at certain characters, playing around with them to a great and comedic effect. The screenplay was really well-paced and I never felt all that bored once the zombies showed up within 20 minutes of the movie. I will say that the characters aren't all that developed and it would have been nice to know more about them so, as an audience, we could care about them and their fates. A little more depth would have been nice but it doesn't really hurt the film all that much at the end.

The special effects of MVZFTH are more than decent. The SFX and makeup were done by American Makeup and Effects, who have worked on all three PIRATE OF THE CARIBBEAN films and JARHEAD. The zombies look pretty good and the gore is pretty nice as well. We get a lot of gun shots and necks being bitten by zombies. Not too shabby at all. For a low budget movie, it was nice to see that the money was spent on the right things.

The direction by Thunder Levin was also nicely handled. The movie was well-paced with its tight editing. The cinematography was pretty nice. The fight sequences were nicely choreographed and pretty exciting. They weren't perfect but I enjoyed them. I really can't say anything negative about the visuals in this movie. The film looked really good and also sounded really good. Thunder Levin is no hack, that's for sure. Definitely thumbs up from me.

The acting was also decent for the most part. C. Thomas Howell does more than well here as the lead. I've always liked the guy since the 1980s and it's too bad he doesn't have a better career. He's a talented actor and I enjoyed him here. His moments where he would try and act black reminded me of SOUL MAN, which made me nostalgic. Tyshawn Bryant was more than capable as G-Dog. He was the stereotypical black gang member, but he put more depth into a thinly written character than what was needed. Good job. Robert Wu was also good as Dragon. He had certain emotional moments that he handled well. KeiKabou Holland was a highlight as Larson. His rants about NOSFERATU were very funny and he made the film more entertaining overall. Gregory Allan Williams, or Baywatch fame, brought class to his role. Johanna Watts as Lisa was extremely hot AND could act! That only made her sexier in my book. And Maxie J. Santillan Jr., as the old man who acted as the sage for the group, was entertaining as well. Just a really capable cast. Not one weak link here.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILE BANGING A HOT DOCTOR IN FRONT OF THE UNDEAD

- David's partner criticized him for talking and acting "black". Obviously, he was one of the many people who was smart enough NOT to see SOUL MAN back in the 80s.

- David claims that his job as a cop is to know every criminal on the streets by their names. Yeah, if there are no donut shops or plungers around! However, if you like forceful entries in the rectum region, then please ignore this one.

- G-Dog said the zombies can do everything but "skull fuck" people "with their atomic dicks." I totally agree. Only Lois Lane has knowledge of this experience and it should stay that way.

- Lisa is a great marksman. Any chick who can master a gun goes on top of my list...and my lap.

- None of the survivors want to have sex with zombies, afraid their appendages might be mutiliated because of hunger. Although lesbians probably welcome their carpets being munched...

- Larson got his penis bit off by a zombie. I guess someone needed a penis transplant...

- Lisa has a thing for David and vice-versa. Hot chicks dig THE OUTSIDERS, even if their 15 minutes of fame have already run out and then some.

THE FINAL HOWL
While not a perfect film [the ending was way rushed, some plot holes, and a very slow and unoriginal beginning], MUTANT VAMPIRE ZOMBIES FROM THE 'HOOD is still a surprisingly fun time. If you are interested in seeing this film and want to see how a low budget zombie film should look like, check out their website at Seminal Films. Apparently there is another installment called NINJA PIRATE WEREWOLVES IN 'SPACE - a film I'm actually looking forward to. How can you not with a title like that? But in the meantime, take a look at MVZFTH. It may leave you starving for more.

Thomas Dekker, Cassandra Peterson and a cast of delirious ghouls will rock The Vista Theatre with William Castle-styled hi-jinks and EVIL fun!

Peaches Christ Productions and The Vista Theatre are proud to announce the special Los Angeles engagement of “ALL ABOUT EVIL: The Peaches Christ Experience in 4-D” on July 10, 2010 at The Vista Theatre. Directed by Joshua Grannell, the alter-ego of San Francisco drag sensation Peaches Christ, this very special event will include a pre-film “spooktacular” hosted by Peaches Christ herself, and feature a live performance by EVIL star Thomas Dekker (recent Nightmare on Elm Street remake) with his back-up group "The EVIL kids”: co-stars Jade & Nikita Ramsey, Ashley Fink, and Anthony Fitzgerald. Part of the 4-D experience includes a very special guest appearance and pre-show interview with Cassandra Peterson (Elvria, Mistress of the Dark), as well as an audience Q&A. In celebration of the Los Angeles engagement, Peaches Christ Productions is also releasing the official theatrical poster of ALL ABOUT EVIL for all the world to see. The Los Angeles extravaganza begins at the witching hour of course, 12 midnight, with tickets for $15 available in advance at Brown Paper Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/113708

“I'm really thrilled that Thomas Dekker and Cassandra Peterson are going to be part of the “Peaches Christ 4-D Experience” at The Vista Theatre, helping Peaches put on a “spooktacular event” in Los Angeles" says director of ALL ABOUT EVIL and CEO of Peaches Christ Productions, Joshua Grannell. "They are great as mother and son in the movie, and I can't wait to see them join our motley crew of misfits for this old-fashioned night of outrageous midnight movie madness and mayhem.”

Additionally, Peaches Christ strongly encourages audience members to be creative, have fun, and dress up in their finest "gore couture!” It will be a night to dismember and you won’t want to miss being at The Vista Theatre so you can say you were there to be part of the EVIL.

ALL ABOUT EVIL has recently locked in a unique, release schedule in over 20 markets, after slaying audiences with sold-out events at the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Alamo Drafthouse. Upcoming markets include Seattle on July 7 and a double presentation of the experience in New York, July 30 and 31. The response to the film has been overwhelmingly positive with support groups developing on Facebook to bring EVIL to their cities. Complete tour information, watch the teaser trailer and read the tantalizing blogs from the universe of Peaches at www.peacheschrist.com

Also, fresh from the desk of Peaches Christ: A special pre-July 4 presentation of “PURPLE RAIN Midnight Mass” is taking place on July 2 and 3 at Landmark’s Bridge Theatre, San Francisco. Not only will the night be filled with performances by Peaches Christ, Putanesca and Martiny but don your most fabulous lace, paisley and lingerie for the infamous “‘80s Slut Pageant” and marvel at local clothing designer and ‘80s-obsessed drag queen Fruitbomb’s latest creations in our “Purple People Fashion Show.” Advance tickets available at: https://tickets.landmarktheatres.com/Landmark.aspx?TheatreID=222

"ALL ABOUT EVIL: The Peaches Christ Experience in 4-D”
Hosted by Peaches Christ
with special guests Thomas Dekker, Cassandra Peterson and ”The EVIL kids”
Saturday, July 10th, 2010
The Vista Theatre
4473 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Tickets: $15 Show time: 12:00 a.m.
Advance tickets available at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/113708

Interact with Peaches Christ on her official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/peacheschrist

And color your world with the glorious splendor of Peaches Christ at the official website: www.peacheschrist.com

Film Arcade recently got ahold from Lionsgate, the teaser poster and trailer for "Buried" which stars Ryan Reynolds.

Paul Conroy is not ready to die.

But when he wakes up 6 feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining battery, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time- fighting panic, despair and delirium, Paul has only 90 minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare comes true.

"Buried" hits select theaters September 24th and nationwide October 8. For more information on this film, you can goto: http://www.experienceburied.com/ and follow "Buried" on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/experienceburied

"Buried" Official Trailer

Dead Creek
Year: 2009
Director: Mike Turner
Studio: Ill-Co Productions
Stars: Kerrin Jeromin, Taryn Hough
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 16 Mins

"Dead Creek” is a short film that has won Best Director at the 2009 Terror Film Festival and Best Horror Short at the 2009 Fargo Fantasic Film Festival 7.

The film follows two sisters, who are haunted with the terrible tragedy that occurred, when they were children. Year’s later they visit those same woods. During that journey, they are lost in the woods of Vermont and are have to cross a vast marsh before sunrise. As the mist beings rise and darkness sets in, the sisters become haunted by ghosts from their past. If matters aren’t even worse, something mysterious is lurking in the muddy banks of Dead Creek.

“Dead Creek” is suspense and creepy short film. Director, Mike Turner does a great job making a horror film, where the atmosphere takes over and generate the scares. That is what made this film very good. He creates the atmosphere through the way the film is shot. Turner shoots this film in a way that the atmosphere is very dark. He does that, because he wants to generate the scares though the imagery that will give you an uneasy feeling that something bad is doing to happen. Besides that, Turner does a good job directing the acting performances. The two main actresses had good chemistry with each other. Turner does a good job making that actresses develop chemistry with one another to the point that they were actually sisters. If the chemistry isn’t there, then this film doesn’t work at all, when the characters are in danger.

The screenplay also delivered, a level of tension that is needed for a short like this to succeed. Turner and screenwriter Travis Kehoe did a very good job keeping my interest through considering its one of those supernatural film, where its focused on atmosphere. The reason that it works, the screenwriters do a good job developing the main characters. I liked that because the backstory got me interested in the characters and the dilemma that their in. That makes helps make a supernatural film entertaining, not very dull to watch. Another thing that they did right was to keep the story contained in one area. Buy doing that, it makes the pace of the film move good, as you’re not kept waiting for something to happen. It makes the action suspenseful and entertaining.

"Dead Creek" provides a lot of tension and some goosebumps

Review Rating: Four Stars

“We’re not gonna make it, humans I mean.”

“It is in your nature to destroy yourselves.”

-Edward Furlong & Arnold Schwarzenegger from “T2”

There was a 20 year gap between George Romero’s “Day Of The Dead” and his “Land Of The Dead.” Some parents now have kids who are slightly older than the number of years Romero sought financing to make zombie movies on his own terms. But since “Land Of The Dead,” this director has been pumping out one living dead movie every other year. Talk about sudden productivity. His latest flesh eating opus is “Survival Of The Dead” which looks at the rivalry of two families on an isolated island, struggling to maintain power as the zombies continue to outnumber them and reject their vegan ways.

Actually, we first get introduced to a group of mercenary National Guardsmen who were briefly introduced in “Diary Of The Dead” when they stole supplies from the protagonists who were riding along in their old Winnebago. These soldiers are lead by Sarge “Nicotine” Crockett (Alan van Sprang), and they are now on their own, struggling to survive in a god forsaken world. As a result, “Survival Of The Dead” is the closest thing to a direct sequel that this series has ever had.

Click here to read the full review

Welcome to the 238th Edition of my long-running series. Opening weekend for GUYS AND DOLLS went real well. We have two more weekends. Go to http://ibelfry.com to call and reserve tickets if you plan to come. This week I pay tribute to Gary Coleman and Dennis Hopper who both left us. I also have three selections from the Random Myspace Profile selection process. I think I have said everything I want to hear so get out your Netflix and Blockbuster queues and let's get started.

The Passion of the Christ (2004): This is my first selection for the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose Melissa who goes by Young Kill Bill on Myspace. I have worked with Melissa in a couple shows at the Muncie Civic Theater. I watched this controversial Mel Gibson piece last time I was at my dad's house and that day he had a handyman come out to look at his dryer. The guy working on his dryer came and told us the story of him trying to see this movie when it was at theaters. He told us that first his new car that was two weeks old would not start and then when he was in another car and driving to the theater, a black rock came down and his car causing some damage. I thought I would relay that story on here. Mel Gibson directed this film which looks at the last few hours of the life of our savior Jesus Christ and used a little bit of flashback. James Caviezel stars as Christ and shows the sacrifice he made to die for our sins and the torture he took. Some people believed that it was "too violent" and even "unnecessary" but a crucifixion was not a quick, humble execution. This was absolute torture and I have heard Caviezel did get hurt some playing this part. This is hard to watch but can be rewarding to knowing that he was doing this for all of us.

The Jazz Singer (1927): Now I go from what some may anti-religious or whatever else you want to call it to something some may believe is racist. This movie is very historical as it is the first "talkie". There were a few movies before this that had sound effects and even music but this was the first to use a voice. Make not mistake, part of it is silent and usually uses the sound for the music numbers from Al Jolson. Here, Al plays the son of a Jewish Cantor who is the 5th generation of the family and is expected by his father to follow in his footsteps. Now with this title, does it sound like he intends to follow his footsteps? No, he wants a career in music which does not sit well with his father at all but he pays the price and becomes disowned by his father though his mother hates the situation and wants him to be able to follow his own dreams. Jolson used the blackface make-up which he made an absolute career of which is what I said some might consider racist but that is really not the case as this was acceptable at the time and was pretty tasteful on his part where he was really trying to pay tribute to the black race. I really did not like the way it ended so if you want to know my analysis just send me a message. Let's just say that as someone in community theater, you always keep your commitments. This movie had some good musical numbers and will always have its place in history which is what makes this movie so well known. Neil Diamond starred in a remake of the film which flopped big-time and they had another remake somewhere in there. The movie should be viewed for historical purposes and they had to start somewhere but is nothing absolutely great in my opinion.

Boogie Nights (1997): What other list would have both a movie about Jesus Christ and one on the adult film industry? I chose my facebook friend Ben for this week who has been a loyal reader to me and writes some good stuff for associatedcontent.com so check his stuff out at http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/78685/ben_kenber.html. Paul Thomas Anderson wrote and directed this movie on the industry which actually is a very moving film on a "family" in the 70s in the adult film industry. Mark Wahlberg stars as Eddie Adams who is discovered and signed to be an actor and becomes Dirk Diggler. Dirk first is very naive but then takes a downward spiral into drugs and his ego. Burt Reynolds has his best performance of his career as Jack Warner who discovers Eddie Adams and runs the film studio. This really becomes a character study on quite a few people who are involved in the industry and gives each character a nice, humanistic look. Other actors in this film include Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Heather Graham, and many others. This is actually based off a 1988 short film called THE DIRK DIGGLER STORY which was also wrote and directed by PTA.

Midgets vs. Mascots (2009): This is my tribute to Gary Coleman for the week. This is a mockumentary which I only heard of after I was looking at what Coleman did in his career and it was available on Netflix instantly. This is a very strange and pretty tasteless film. This movie had five midgets, including Gary Coleman being one of them and five mascots, which one of them was played by Jason Mewes who is most known as Jay in the movies with Jay and Silent Bob, who were put in some pretty ridiculous and humiliating contests including the gross-out milk-chugging contest, where the winners would get one million bucks. If you're not too politically correct, you might enjoy this humor because it was pretty funny and boast some interesting cameos like adult film star Ron Jeremy and former Chicago Bull Scottie Pippen. I know it is very strange where I have two movies in a row that reference the porn industry which this does a little bit in the beginning. I must say I laughed some but also just watched out of curiosity. It is available instantly on Netflix if this sounds like something you like but as you see not for everyone.

I Know Where I'm Going (1945): This is actually one of four foreign films and this one takes place in England. Wendy Hiller stars as Joan Webster, an ambitious middle class woman who has always known what she wants since childhood. She then tells her father she is going to marry an industrialist she has not met so she sets off for the island of Mull. She then gets stuck on the island due to the wind and meets a naval officer who she falls for but is still determined to get her marriage of convenience and must do some deciding. This was a pretty light comedy and delivers laughs. This is available instantly on Netflix.

Tokyo Story (1953): This is another selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose Remodernist Film & Photograph. This is my Japanese film for the week which was co-written and directed by Yasujiro Ozu. This movie focuses on an older couple who are going from Onomichi to Tokyo to visit the children and grandchildren who have very little time for the where the only one real glad to see them is a widowed daughter-in-law. Each side of the family discusses what to do with this inconvenient visit from their parents. This movie was very good and gave a great message about taking family for granted and the penalties for treating a visit like this as an obligation. This ranks in the best movies of all time and is also available through Netflix instantly.

Mad Dog Morgan (1976): This is my tribute for the week to Dennis Hopper who recently left us. This is actually an Australian film where Dennis Hopper plays outlaw Dan Morgan who was a real-life person. This movie takes a look at what happened to turn Dan Morgan into such an outlaw and to go avenge those who wronged him leading a very dangerous lifestyle. This is a more unknown Hopper film. The DVD I got had a very bad transfer but I found it worth it to see Hopper who looked quite different in this movie.

American Carny: True Tales from the Circus Sideshow (2008): This is my documentary for the week which I found on the Doc channel. I really liked this one which takes a look at many unusual carnival acts like people who swallow swords, can pick things up with their nipple, and many other things. It also looks at the history of "freak shows". If this interests you, then take a look at the Documentary channel called Doc. They have some pretty good documentaries on there like this one that deserves more exposure.

Where the Wild Things Are (2009): This is my last selection for the week for the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose filmarcade.net who had their default pic with this movie cover. They have helped me get exposure by allowing me to post this on their website so thank you for that. This movie is actually based on the classic children's book of the same title where a little boy is being naughty and is sent to his room without supper. The difference from the book to the movie is that in the book, the fantasy world develops in his room and in the movie, the boy runs away from home to create his fantasy world. The little boy's name is Max who finds a world where large creatures exist led by Carol, voiced so well by SOPRANOS alum James Gandolfini, who relates to Max the most. Most humans they eat but they really like him and name him their king. This movie did a great job of adapting the book while accommodating to both the children and parents. Paul Dano, Catherine O'Hara, Forrest Whitaker, Lauren Ambrose, Michael Berry Jr., and Chris Cooper lend their voices and Catherine Keener plays Max's mother with Mark Ruffalo in a small part as her boyfriend. I really liked this movie a lot where each monster kind of conveyed parts in Max's personality. Spike Jonze directed this movie.

The Spirit of the Beehive (1973): This is another movie that focuses on childhood fantasy. Victor Erice wrote and directed this Spanish film. This movie takes place in the 1940s during the Spanish Civil War where we meet a sensitive seven year old girl named Ana who goes to a screening of James Whale's 1931 film FRANKENSTEIN. She then becomes very disturbed when the monster kills the little girl and is then killed by the villagers. Along with a friend, they set off to find the creature who Ana is told the spirit exists. This is an interesting movie which questions life and death. When watching FRANKENSTEIN now, you will see it is not that scary but at the time, it was considered pretty scary since they did not see it.

Well, that is it for this week. I see I had some pretty strange selections this week but that is what I am all about. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned next week which so far includes Robert De Niro, Topol, Olivia Hussey, Karen Black, and many others.