IFC Films recently send us over still for their upcoming release "Cold Weather" which hits theaters in New York on February 4th. A self-styled Sherlock Holmes leads an unlikely team of irregulars in this charming comic mystery from indie auteur Aaron Katz. The film premiered to critical acclaim at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival, followed by a much-lauded screening at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival. "Cold Weather" is simultaneously a story of a brother and sister getting to know each other after years apart and a mystery in the great tradition of crime and detective fiction. 
After abandoning a promising academic career in forensic science, aimless Doug (Cris Lankenau) returns to Portland to live with his more responsible big sister Gail (Trieste Kelly). He quickly lands a dead-end job in an ice factory, but his latent passion for detective work is stoked when his ex-girlfriend goes missing. Armed with a handful of arcane clues, Doug enlists Gail and co-worker Carlos (Raúl Castillo) in a ramshackle investigation that draws the slacker sleuths into Portland's not-quite-seedy underground.
Building on the lyrical style and naturalistic performances of his two previous features, DANCE PARTY USA and QUIET CITY, Katz offers a refreshingly idiosyncratic spin on genre conventions. He eschews the twisty plots and violence of modern neo-noir in favor of sly, deadpan humor and closely-observed performances.
A food critic can dish it out, but can he take it? Revenge is on the menu for notorious blogger J.T. Franks (Joshua Leonard, Humpday, The Blair Witch Project) when he publishes a rumor which leads to the demise of TV chef Peter Grey's culinary empire. Grey (James Le Gros, Zodiac, TV's Mercy) kidnaps the writer, confines him in a remote cabin and presents him with a series of deceptively simple food challenges - from preparing a perfect egg over-easy, to grilling a steak precisely medium rare - punishing him for anything less than total perfection. Bitter Feast is an exploration of the creative impulse gone tragically and ferociously awry. Indie horror icon Larry Fessenden and renowned chef Mario Batali co-star in this tense shocker, which is served up with wicket wit and savory flair.
DVD Features include:
Audio Commentary from Writer/Director Joe Maggio along with producers Larry Fessenden, Peter Phok, Brent Kunkle, and sound designer Graham Reznick.
Joe Maggio Interviews Mario Batali
Deleted Scenes & Alternate Ending
Teaser Trailer
Theatrical Trailer
Feast Portraits
DVD Retail Price: $ 24.98
"For more information on this film, you can visit the official website at: http://www.bitterfeastthefilm.com/
"Bitter Feast": Official Trailer
Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln sedan. Haller has spent most of his career defending garden-variety criminals, until he lands the case of his career: defending Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), a Beverly Hills playboy accused of rape and attempted murder. But the seemingly straightforward case suddenly develops into a deadly game of survival for Haller.
"The Lincoln Lawyer" hits theaters on March 18th.
For more information on this film, you can visit the film's website at: http://www.thelincolnlawyermovie.com/
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"The Lincoln Lawyer": Official Trailer
DIRECTED BY
Steve Shimek
STARRING
Shalaina Castle - Jordan
Brandon Sean Pearson - Cole
Clare Niederpruem - Alison
Kyle Paul - Will
Tye Nelson - Collin
Luke Drake - Officer Eric Schroeder
Richard Dutcher - Sheriff Ben
Allan Groves - Officer Marcus Larsen
Genre - Horror/Thriller/Slasher/Indie
Running Time - 90 Minutes
I remember that internet meme a couple of years back where you had to guide your mouse through a four-level maze. In each level, the paths would get narrower and narrower to the point where you would have to restart the whole thing when you touched a wall. But if you actually made it to that last level, you would get to the mid-point of the maze until *BAM* - a Pazuzu possessed Regan MacNeil from THE EXORCIST would pop up and scare the daylights out of you. Yes, I screamed like a bitch when she popped up. I'm man enough to admit it.
So why am I writing about that maze again? Because the reaction I got from it was a lot more stimulating than watching 2010's low-budget independent horror/thriller THE MAZE, which takes place in a corn field in the middle of nowhere. While not a terrible film, it won't leave you aMAZEd either. Here's the perfect example of a film that has a great idea, but can't live up to its potential due to several factors that's mostly out of its control.
PLOT
Five friends, who seem to bicker alot, decide to drive in search for a huge maze that's surrounded by rows and columns of corn stalks. Along the way, one of them brings up a story about a guy in a red hoodie stabbing and killing people, who venture through this maze, with scissors. Being the geniuses they are, they decide to head there anyway and check it out. Unfortunately by the time they arrive there, it's night and the maze is closed for the public. Being the geniuses they are, they decide to trespass and play a game of "tag" as they travel through the large maze. What they don't know is that someone wearing a red hoodie is also inside the maze, eager to attack these friends one-by-one.
REVIEW
THE MAZE could have been a pretty great horror/thriller if it had more 
things going for it, instead of against it. The main culprit is the lack of money to really fund a great premise like a killer in a corn field maze, as the film doesn't show us enough of what we need to see in order to make a movie like this work. The other culprit is a weak script that pretty much derails any potential or momentum THE MAZE needs to make it stand out.
Like I mentioned, the narrative is very weak because it doesn't seem to know what type of film it wants to tell. The first half of the movie is definitely a slasher, with a stalk-and-kill villain chasing after five one-dimensional characters through a corn field. The problem with the whole slasher deal is that it doesn't do what slashers are known for - nudity and graphic violence. No one gets even close to being naked in this film at all. Plus, the violence is pretty tame. There's barely any bloodshed. The kills seem to happen off-screen. And with characters that have no development at all, we need those two distractions to keep audiences invested in finishing the film. And I gotta say that the Final Girl has got to be one of the worst choices for a Final Girl in a slasher film. Not only do we know nothing about her, but she's a total bitch for most of the film. So why should I care about her survival again?
The second half of the film switches modes, becoming a thriller as the killer reveals himself and torments the Final Girl in a twist that I didn't see coming honestly. Unfortunately, I don't understand the twist's purpose because the backstory of the killer is never revealed. We have no idea why he does what he does. We have no idea why he only kills people who enter mazes of corn. We have no idea why he decides to play mind games with the lone survivor instead of killing her and getting it over with. I will say that once the killer is in his civilian clothes and actually speaks, his personality shines right through. In fact, I wanted to see more of the character. But with no clear motivations for his actions, there was definitely a piece of the puzzle missing.
And while the film was disjointed due to the change in genres, I felt the thriller portion of the movie was stronger than the slasher portion. The slasher portion dragged on for 
way too long, boring me to tears. The characters were very annoying, unlikable, and not even worth the time caring about. The killer should have killed them faster in my opinion. The thriller portion, while not exactly thrilling, was better paced. It went by quick and I liked the characters and acting better as well. Personally, THE MAZE should have been a shorter film, with maybe 15 dedicated to the slasher portion, and 30 minutes to the thriller portion. The film would have been more effective and the small budget would have gone to more things in the production, like maybe better actors and the graphic violence.
Nagging issues: Why would five adults drive for so many hours just to see a maze built with rows of corn husks? And why would they trespass at night, especially knowing that a killer did horrible things there? And when they did see the killer, why didn't they just run through the corn instead of actually trying to find a way out through the maze? I know horror characters are supposed to have smaller I.Q.'s than real life people, but this was pretty ridiculous.
The gore is pretty non-existent, due to the low budget. But we do get slashed throats, stabbings, gunfire, burnings, and even guillotine action. It was a very tame slasher. But I can understand why it wasn't better. With more money, the gore effects could have easily compensated for the unforgivable weak screenwriting and story structure.
The direction by Steve Shimek is more hit than miss. To get the negatives out of the way, Shimek doesn't provide enough tension or scares to satisfy horror and/or thriller audiences. We get the usual jump scares and false starts that most modern horror films rely on when there's no atmosphere to set the creepy mood. Shimek also relies on his score to provide tension and scares, but all they did was take me out of the scene. The music wasn't bad, but it just seemed to be playing during the wrong times at some spots. I also thought the pacing was off, like I mentioned earlier. The disjointing two halves didn't help either. I will say that Shimek does have some decent visual style behind the camera. There were moments in the film where slow motion his use of flashbacks worked well. I also loved the cinematography and composition of the film. It looked very professional for a small budget, with the settings and framing looking quite impressive and stunning at times. I thought the visuals were actually the best part of the film, I have to say. I would like to see what Shimek can do with better screenwriters and a bigger budget.
The acting in the film wasn't all that impressive, but it wasn't totally horrible. I will say the best actor was the killer himself. I won't say the character's name because I don't want to spoil who it is, but I dug his work in the last half of the film. Shalaina Castle was also cool as Jordan, although she annoyed me in the first half of the film.
THINGS I'VE LEARNED WHILE BUTTERING MY CORN
- "No one gets buried alive anymore." Tell that to Bill Pullman or Ryan Reynolds. I think they'd disagree with you...
- One of the characters had trouble lighting her cigarettes anytime she needs a smoke. No wonder she's single - she has no idea how to turn on things that are in her mouth.
- One of the characters got strangled to death. That's what happens when you get roped into doing a stupid maze.
- Don't bring a shotgun to a dangerous corn field. Corn will be the last thing getting popped.
- Don't get yourself trapped in a maze that has an Alice In Wonderland motif and a killer dressed in red. Once he gets his hands on you, it'll be off with your head!
THE FINAL HOWL
THE MAZE is a disappointing, mediocre low-budget horror film that could have been better if there was more money involved and if the screenplay was written better [I can forgive the budget, I can't forgive lazy writing for low or big budget films]. Still, we don't get a lot of horror films involving creepy corn fields. THE MAZE is a decent rental if you're into indie horror. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother. You wouldn't be missing a thing if you don't journey through this MAZE.
2 Howls Outta 4
From director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) comes the new action thriller PIRANHA 3D. Every year the population of sleepy Lake Victoria explodes from 5,000 to 50,000 for Spring Break, a riot of sun and drunken fun. But this year, there's something more to worry about than hangovers and complaints from local old timers; a new type of terror is about to be cut loose on Lake Victoria. After a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the areas new razor-toothed residents. The film stars Jessica Szohr (Gossip Girl), Steven R. McQueen (The Vampire Diaries), Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O'Connell, Ving Rhames, Adam Scott, Richard Dreyfuss, Christopher Lloyd, and Kelly Brook.
"Piranha (2010)" Clip #1 - Boat Crash
"Piranha (2010)" Clip #2 - Chew on This
"Piranha (2010)" Clip #3 - Something In The Water
"Piranha (2010)" Clip #4 - Because of Me
"Piranha (2010)" Clip #5 - Night Discovery
Scorpio Film Releasing is proud to announce that their next production, and most ambitious to date, will be the feature film 2009: MUTANTS OF THE APOCALYPSE, a unique vision of a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by outlandishly deformed mutants, ruthlessly violent gangs, corruptible leaders, wasteland temptresses, and the most badass antihero in movie history; Python Diamond. New England genre film director, Richard Griffin tackles his loftiest vision yet, in an epic production of grand scale action and science fiction.
As with Griffin’s other films NUN OF THAT, BEYOND THE DUNWICH HORROR, ATOMIC BRAIN INVASION, and upcoming THE DISCO EXORCIST, 2009: MUTANTS OF THE APOCALYPSE will be a genre inspired adventure movie much like Escape From New York, or the Italian “Spaghetti-Apocalypse” films Bronx Warriors, The New Barbarians, and Fall of New York. Griffin explains that “with Mutants of the Apocalypse I wanted to return the sci-fi/action film to it's roots. Real mayhem and not endless CGI. When you see the action and stunts in the movie, you'll know it's the real thing with real stunt men and women putting their lives at risk for your viewing entertainment."
2009: MUTANTS OF THE APOCALYPSE is loosely based on Scorpio Film Releasing’s short film, Mutants of the Apocalypse, their multiple award-winning entry into the 2010 Providence 48-Hour Film Challenge. Expanding on the themes of this ambitious low-budget short, the feature film will broaden the world presented into a full-scale land of chaos, decay, and plays of power, in some ways mirroring our current political situation. You can watch the original HD short film and link it here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qmvJqbYXP0
Currently in the pre-production stages, 2009: MUTANTS OF THE APOCALYPSE has a tentative shooting date set for early Fall 2011. Because of the level of design and production work, the filmmakers are taking their time to make sure every aspect of this world they are creating is memorable and exciting. Griffin is set to direct with Ted Marr producing. The screenplay is written by Tony Nunes (Zombie Allegiance) and Guy Benoit (Atomic Brain Invasion).
2009: MUTANTS OF THE APOCALYPSE has yet to be cast outside of the lead role of Python Diamond to be played by Gio Castellano (Atomic Brain Invasion & The Disco Exorcist). Casting for the film is expected to continue until late Spring.
Also on the Scorpio Film Releasing docket is the 1970’s set THE DISCO EXORCIST, Griffin’s bloodiest, sexiest film yet, which just wrapped principal photography last week, and will most likely premiere in February of 2011. The 1950’s Sci-Fi monster movie, ATOMIC BRAIN INVASION, also directed by Griffin will be available soon on DVD. Watch www.scorpiofilmreleasing.net for preorder details.
Welcome to the 267th Edition of my long-running series. I hope everyone is having a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or a Happy Kwanzaa. This one is the last installment for the year 2010 and a good year it has been. This week I pay tribute to the late Blake Edwards who recently left us. This week I am in the finals of fantasy football and if I win this week I win a $150 cash prize so we'll see how that goes.
The Hurt Locker (2008): This is the seventh link of the chain and the first one for Brian Geraghty who co-starred in last week's JARHEAD, another war movie. JARHEAD was based on Desert Storm and this one was based on the current war in Iraq. Jeremy Renner stars as Sergeant James who joins an elite group and proves to be a man who lives on the edge as part of a bomb disposal team. His reckless actions really dismay Sanborn, played by Anthony Mackie, and Eldridge, played this this week's chain link Brian Geraghty. The movie was filmed in Jordan hoping to make the look authentic. I know this has went to very mixed opinions and have found that its biggest haters are people in the military and the portrayals. Many have said that the Explosive Ordinance Disposal is not nearly as active as they are in the film. There has also been criticism towards the character of James and his recklessness. I will not pretend to have any kind of expertise towards this war and maybe if I was in Iraq I would have thought different but I have heard praise that it captures the war conditions very well. Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Guy Pearce are the biggest names of the film but have very small parts as director Kathryn Bigelow wanted as many unknowns as possible. The film was written by Mark Boal who was a freelance journalist and wrote a fictional story about the things he saw. This movie beat out the visually stunning AVATAR which was coincidentally enough directed by Bigelow's ex-husband James Cameron. Maybe there was some exaggeration which was to be expected but I also thought it was a good portrayal on a unit in the military though I liked last week's war film JARHEAD better but not really into the war genre much anyways. The Chain will continue next week with another Brian Geraphty film.
Strangers With Candy (2005): This is part three of my four part Philip Seymour Hoffman series which features a very small part from him. This is actually a prequel to the short-lived cult series of the same title in 1999. Amy Sedaris plays Jerri Blank, a 47 year old ex-con, who returns home to find that her father is in a coma and that he has married with another son who are not eager to accept Jerri. Jerri feels that if she does something to make her father proud that he will come out of the coma. With that she decides to re-enroll in high school which was the storyline in the tv series in order to finally graduate. She then finds that it is not an easy task when she gets put on a science team and must learn to be a team player. I have not seen the tv series. I may check it out on Instant Netflix when I am done with NIP/Tuck, but this had some pretty funny moments. Stephen Colbert, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dan Hedaya, and Matthew Broderick co-star.
A Christmas Carol (1910): Last week, I promised another adaptation to the Dickens classic and found this Thomas Edison produced version on my Pub-D-Hub app on my Roku. With Edison's invention of the video camera, he produced countless short films including this 10 minute version of the timeless classic. I wondered how good this would be with only being a few minutes but it ended up working pretty well using the basic elements to put it together. With the scenes with the ghosts, they actually had some pretty good special effects for the time with double exposures. It is on public domain so it can probably be obtained through websites that feature this.
The Pink Panther (1963): This is my tribute to Blake Edwards who directed this film which introduced us to the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Peter Sellers plays the detective who is investigating the master thief The Phantom who he does not know is right under his nose. David Niven stars as Sir Charles Lytton who becomes one of the main suspects. Robert Wagner, Capucine, Robert Wagner, and Claudia Cardinale also co-star. I liked the sequel A SHOT IN THE DARK a lot better but this was a good introduction with a great opening sequence, the birth of one of the best movie scores of all time from Henry Mancini, and a great performance from Sellers who I did not feel was used enough.
Holiday Affair (1949): I found this one on TCM which I find is a very overlooked holiday film. Robert Mitchum stars as sales clerk Steve Mason who gets fired due to a misunderstanding with a customer named Connie. Janet Leigh plays Connie who is a single mother and widowed from a husband who died in the war. Connie then feels bad for what happened where she forms a friendship with him which does not sit well with her suitor Carl, played from Wendell Corey, but sits well with her son who really likes Steve. From there romantic complications follow. Mitchum was great as Steve who is a very friendly person. Mitchum took the part in order to clean up his "bad-boy" image he had and this was something different for Robert Mitchum. Leigh was also very good as Connie and Gordon Gebert was good as her son who did not want Carl as a stepfather but really took a liking to Steve.
Always (1985): Henry Jaglom wrote, directed, produced and stars in this romantic film on a couple on the verge of divorce. Jaglom and Patrice Townsend star as married couple David and Judy where Judy wants to get a divorce. When about to sign the papers, their divorce attorney makes them wait until after the weekend. To distract them, they are joined by some of their other friends which are two other couples where they begin to question their divorce. This is a rather personal film for Jaglom who had his own divorce settlement going on where while there is poor editing and such, he captures this type of couple pretty well. I also liked the way it ended.
Swamp Women (1955): I decided to use some Roger Corman for the week. Carole Matthews stars as police lieutenant Lee Hampton who goes undercover in a women's prison to lead an escape to find a stolen loot of diamonds which leads them into a very swampy place. They then take a couple hostage which really complicates things as the women start fighting each other and Lee begins to like the man whose girlfriend did not seem to care much about him. This is the directorial debut for Roger Corman which is you are expecting a great plot, this is not it but it is a good B-Movie to watch with the friends.
The Rookie (1990): Clint Eastwood directed and stars in this buddy cop film as veteran cop Nick Pulovski who is stuck with rookie cop David Ackerman, played by Charlie Sheen. Together they go after Pulovski's rival Strom, played by Raul Julia. This is not one of Eastwood's better films but is a fun action film and has some humorous moments. Sheen was pretty fun as the tense rookie who becomes a very loose cannon when exposed by his partner including a scene where he drives through his own home on his motorcycle knowing his wife is in danger. He also has the death of his brother on his head from when they were kids which he still blames himself for. Sonia Braga, Tom Skerritt, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Xander Berkeley co-star. The beginning takes place at Christmas.
Superman (1978): I found this one on Encore On-Demand which is the special edition version of the film and is two and a half hours rather that the version that is a little over two hours. Richard Donner directed this superhero film which was a great superhero film before it became the big thing that it is today. This film holds its own among all the superhero fans we have. Christopher Reeve plays the Man of Steel in this film which takes a look at his father Jor-El, played well by Marlon Brando, condemns three criminals and must get his baby boy Kal-El sent to Earth before Krypton is destroyed. Kal-El is sent to the small town of Smallville where he is adopted by the Kents and becomes Clark Kent. It takes a look at how difficult it was for him to grow up where he is quite different from other. Clark then becomes a mild-mannered reporter in the Metropolis and doubles as Superman who gets his power from our sun. Gene Hackman stars as Superman's arch-enemy Lex Luthor who is a great criminal mind whose efforts are complicated by Superman. Margot Kidder plays Lois Lane who would become a good friend of Superman and have a bit of a love triangle with Clark and Superman. We also get a great music score from John Williams and some great opening sequences which I seems to be commenting quite a bit on this week. Jackie Cooper plays newspaper editor Perry White who reminded me of a nicer J. Jonah Jameson who is the editor in the world of Spider-Man. Look closely for Kirk Alyn who plays the father of young Lois Lane in the beginning on the train. Alyn was the first live-action Superman. The sequel was also very good and this was a near-perfect superhero film that is just as good if not better than most of the superhero films they put out today.
Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006): I end with this HBO mini-series which takes place after the real-life tsunami that took place in Southeast Asia in 2004. These are fictional situations that were inspired by the stories of people who lived it. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sophie Okonedo co-star as a couple who lost their daughter in the tsunami and who deal with her disappearance in much different ways. Tim Roth plays a reporter who is obviously a loose cannon and is trying to uncover the truth of the knowledge people had of the tsunami. Toni Collette and Hugh Bonneville also co-star. This one did go to mixed opinions and the first part was a lot better. I liked the segments with Ejiofor and Okonedo the most who lent the most emotional depth. I can always watch Toni Collette who plays a relief worker. Maybe it could have been better if they took out one or two of the stories but still pretty well-done.
Well, that is it for this week. Stay tuned for next week which so far includes more Brian Geraphty, more Philip Seymour Hoffman, and many others. I decided to use a couple Honorable Holiday Mentions so keep going.
HONORABLE HOLIDAY MENTIONS
These are two of my favorite annual holiday viewings. I know there is a lot more but this is all for right now.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965): This is such a timeless special where Charlie Brown seeks the meaning of Christmas when he sees that everyone is going commercial. He is appointed director of the Christmas Pageant and finds even that is going to be quite difficult when his actors are not the most cooperative and must have Linus' help to discover the true meaning. This year I decided to buy the great Charlie Brown Christmas Tree which plays the Charlie Brown theme. This a timeless classic that each generation can appreciate even in the year 3000.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946): This is something that I can watch every year on Christmas. James Stewart stars as George Bailey who is a small-town boy looking to get out of Bedford Falls but things happen when his father dies and must stay in town to keep his father's banking business going. Lionel Barrymore plays Mr. Potter who is doing everything he can to take over the town and needs Bailey's business to go further. Things happen to Bailey where everything comes full circle where a second-class angel named Clarence, played by Henry Travers, is sent down and shows George the kind of life he would have if he had not been born. Frank Capra directed this ultimate holiday film which shows us we must embrace life and doing little things can go a long way. Look for a grown-up Alfalfa from THE LITTLE RASCALS during the reunion scene.
Reviews From the Horror Chamber: "Ticked Off Trannies with Knives", "Bikini Bloodbath Christmas", "Attack at Zombie High"
Ticked Off Trannies with Knives
Year: 2010
Director: Israel Luna
Stars: Krystal Summers, Kelexis Davenport, William Belli
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Vicious Circle Films
Running Time: 90 Mins
“Ticked Off Trannies with Knives” is homage to the exploitation films of the seventies. The film is about a group of trainnes, who get attacks by a group of men and left for dead. They soon regain consciousness from the vicious attack and seeing revenge. Now with their new confidence, these divas turn deadly to slice their way to vengeance.
“Ticked Off Trannies with Knives” is a very deranged and entertaining grindhouse film. Writer/Director Israel Luna does a very good job making this film feel like a grindhouse film. I liked, how he makes the picture so grainy and adding missing reel and title card effects. It makes the film stand out, from other revenge films. Oneof the reason that I enjoyed this film, everything was handled well. Luna keeps the action moving without getting too over the top with the action and the performances. It really help the flow of film, as it didn’t chaotic to the point where you lose track of everything. This could’ve easily happen considering that there is missing reel and the fact that there were a couple of characters that looked dead in one scene and very much alive in the next scene. Thankfully, the confusion is only temporary. There’s also enough blood and gore to keep fans of the genre interested.
Luna’s screenplay also provides the shock value that’s needed for an exploitation film. He does a very good job creating a story that’s so weird that it feels original and edgy. If the story includedregular men or women, then maybe it wouldn’t work as well as this surprising did . The other thing that I liked about the film, the way that Luna wrote the dialogue. One minute, the dialogue is dark and sinister and the next minute it’s very humorous. He does a good job balancing those elements very well, as that what makes the film entertaining. If the tone of the dialogue wasn’t balanced like it is here, then this film wouldn’t have been entertaining.
Forget the subject matter, “Ticked Off Trannies with Knives” is very twisted and entertaining film that pays homage to the exploitation films of the grindhouse era.
Review Rating: Four Stars
Bikini Bloodbath Christmas
Year: 2010
Directors: Jon Gorman, Thomas Edward Seymour
Stars: Rachael Robbins, Niki Notatile, Debbie Rochon
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: BloodBath Pictures
Running Time: 71 Mins
“Bikini Bloodbath Christmas” is the third film in the “Bikini Bloodbath” series. Jenny and Sharon are back, as this time they working at a bong shop that’s in a very competitive battle with a Christian deli for holiday business. The girls put there competitiveness aside, when everyone is invited to a big holiday bash at Mrs. Johnson’s house. But Jenny accidentally resurrects the killer chef again and this things start to get crazy. Soon people start disappearing from the party, as no ones knows who causing all of this. Can Jenny and Sharon have a happy Christmas or is it their last.
This film is not your typical Christmas film. Jon Gorman and Thomas Edward Seymour continue to go all out with the way that they proceed with each film, as the direction was solid. The gags are more gross out than the previous two films. Most of the stuff works with the exception for a few bathroom gags that felt repetitive to me. I also liked, how the directors handled the acting aspects. I know, they felt cheesy, but it’s the cheesiness in the acting helped provided for some funny moments.
If there was one complaint with Gorman and Seymour’s direction, it would have to be with some of the death scenes felt rushed. The bathroom death scenes were creative and shot very well, but most of the character deaths felt rushed and so fast that you don’t get the full effect of the scene. This will leave some of the gorehounds disappointed.
Gorman and Seymour’s screenplay was good. This felt like the same film that I’ve seen three times, but it the way that they write the humor that makes these bad movies good to watch. It’s easily accessible for those who haven’t watched the first two films of the series, as there are flashback sequences that ties this film to the first two,. I also liked the way, they created new characters for this one. The character traits of some of the characters were enough to generate laughs. Gorman and Seymour also do a good job with having the film end with a twist ending. I know that Chef Death is a staple of the series, but after a while he just becomes boring to watch. Hopefully, the next film will continue on the twist ending.
If your looking for a campy Christmas horror film to pop up your DVD player this season, then “Bikini Bloodbath Christmas” is for you.
Review Rating: Three Stars
Attack at Zombie High!
Year: 2009
Director: Jennifer Sanett
Stars: Rachele Smith, Carly Lang, Emily Del Giudice
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Insanetty Production
Running Time: 12 Mins
“Attack at Zombie High” is about a high school student, who has a vendetta against Amber, the most popular girl in the school. The student turns to witchcraft, in order to summon several bloodlusting zombies. Now she has unleash them to kill Amber friends, so that her high school sweetheart can’t ask her to the prom. It’s up to Amber to stop her, before the whole high school is overrun by zombies.
“Attack at Zombie High” is “High School Musical meets “Night of the Living Dead”. Writer/Director Jennifer Sanett makes this film a nice “High School Musical” parody. Her direction was good, because this was a fun film to watch. One of the reason that this was fun from on directing perspective, it doesn’t take it’s self too seriously. I liked, how she makes the action entertaining with the dance sequences, which doesn’t turn this into your typical zombie movie. It makes the film fun, and that’s what I’m looking for this type of movie. Sanett also does a good job with the performances, as she really made sure that the characters were annoying. It made some of the film’s funny parts work.
Sannett’s screenplay was very different from what I’m use to seeing from this type of horror genre. I liked, how she has a different take on the zombie genre. What hurts the screenplay was the character and action development. There was none there, as some of the scenes felt like they were just put together and there‘s your movie. In order to make a fun movie, you need to see where that characters are going. Also, I felt there was hardly any back-story to the main characters. It would have been nice to see an extra ten minutes or so going into the backstory. It would have fleshed out some the main characters. But there is a positive. I liked, how she’s able to give her characters good personality traits to help makes this film watchable in a b-movie way and its enough to give this a slightly positive rating.
“Attack at Zombie High” has a good concept and solid directing, but it’s the screenplay that hurts this film from being very good.
Review Rating: Three Stars
A Boy and His Dog (1946): This is my short film for the week which I found on TCM On-Demand. Billy Sheffield stars as Davy Allen who is a young boy who finds a dog, Buck, who is badly wounded around the neck where the dog follows his home. He decides he should keep the dog even when the dog's owner Mr. Thornycroft comes to the home looking for him and Davy refuses to give him the dog because of Thornycroft's abuse to the dog. He then reports what he feels is theft and a trial over who should own the dog ensues. It is a simple story really but also one that is quite heartwarming. This particular short film won an Academy Award that year. I also liked the courtroom pretty much being a local store.
Scrooge (1935): This is just another name for the Charles Dickens classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL which I found on my Pub-D-Hub app on my Roku player which features Public Domain things like this right here. As you see this one is a much earlier one and one made in Britain. Seymour Hicks stars as the title character and becomes one of our more underrated Ebenezer Scrooges through the years. He is a lot meaner in the beginning than many of the ones that we see where he is mean through all his bitterness and evolves more and more through the film. There were some different approaches with the ghosts like with Jacob Marley, he was invisible where he mentions that only Scrooge can see him which remains true here as Scrooge questions his chains and such. We hear his voice, we hear his chains but we cannot see him. With the Ghost of Christmas Past, we see a more non-corporal figure where we see a light, hear a voice, but we do not see a physical person. The Ghost of Christmas Present is more like the usual one and is quite enjoyable. The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come was more of a shadowy figure and saw that shadow of a finger pointing to convey to Scrooge what he is to see. This one is really kind of normal as that ghost is usually the image of Death and never speaks. I really liked the camera work that was done in these flashback sequences. Philip Frost I thought gave the Tiny Tim a pretty realistic portrayal where he was positive about things but you could still see the hurt in his face. I feel this was a very well-done version that has just been overshadowed through the years by the countless other versions of the classic. A CHRISTMAS CAROL was my debut in the world of community theater and the first in my theater "comeback" many years later. This is one story I never tire of during Christmas. Next week will include another adaptation to the Dickens classic which could be new or old.
Dangerous Beauty (1998): This is my love story for the week. This film is based on a biographical book called THE HONEST COURTESAN which was based on a 16th Century Venetian named Veronica Franco. Catherine McCormack plays Franco who falls in love Marco Venier but Venier comes from a higher-class family where they do not approve of his marriage to her. Veronica is then advised by her mother, played by Jacqueline Bisset, to become a courtesan which she agrees to become where she becomes the best. She throughout will meet with her true love but something always keeps them apart. This was a very good story from start to finish with McCormack great as Veronica. Oliver Platt, Naomi Watts, Jeroen Krabbe, and many others co-star. Veronica Franco was also a poet. This is more of a tragic love story and a true story as well leading up to quite a trial in the end of the film.
The Family Stone (2005): This is another one of my holiday selections where a woman meets the possible future in-laws for the holidays. SEX AND THE CITY alum Sarah Jessica Parker plays uptight businesswoman Meredith who then goes with her boyfriend for their holiday gathering where she finds herself quite out of place in a family of more free-spirited people. Dermot Mulrooney plays her boyfriend Everett who is seeking a family heirloom for his future. Meredith soon feels so out of place, she asks her sister Julie, played by Claire Danes, to join her for emotional support but that leads to even bigger complications. Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Luke Wilson, Rachel McAdams, and Ty Giordano all co-star as Everett's family. This is more of a holiday date film and a decent romantic comedy if you like the genre.
Santa Claus (1959): I had the pleasure of being able to find this movie on TCM and record it to the DVR. No, this is not the Tim Allen film or that movie in the 80s with Dudley Moore. This is actually a Mexican film which is about you guessed it, Santa Claus. This is my really bad holiday film selection but is something that just must be viewed if you can find it. In this movie, Santa actually does not appear to have elves as he has children from other countries so I guess that would be child labor. We also learn from watching this year that Santa's nemesis is the Devil who tries to ruin Christmas every year and this year sends his minion Pitch to do what he can to stop Santa. Pitch is a very interesting person as he likes to dance and always seems to be in a good mood. If that can't be any stranger, Merlin even works for Santa and helps him with some supplies like a powder to put children to sleep and various other things. I was wondering where Jesus was to help Santa combat the Devil and his minion Pitch. This is available on instant Netflix as a standalone film as well as through MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000. Take this for what it is worth, gather some friends, and enjoy this really weird adaptation towards Santa Claus that I think everybody should watch once in their life.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974): This movie was recently remade so I decided to feature the original. Four armed men hijack a subway train demanding one million dollars. Robert Shaw plays Blue, the leader of the hijacking group who have color code names which is something Quentin Tarantino would use years later in his heist film RESERVOIR DOGS. Walter Matthau plays transit cop Lt. Zach Garber who must do what he can to contend with the City Hall red tape, the hijackers' demands, and the little bit of time he is given. This is a pretty suspenseful film with good performances from the lead and great action. I have not seen the new one but have heard it is decent.
Synecdoche, New York (2008): This is part two of what may be a Philip Seymour Hoffman four-part series. Last week I used CAPOTE. This is Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut. Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as playwright Caden Cotard who is fresh off the success of a unique version of DEATH OF A SALESMAN. He then wins a MacArthur grant where he wants to create a very brutal piece of realism. He then gathers a cast in a New York theater and instructs them to live out their constructed lives. This project also takes a toll on Caden who finds that this project is a bit too real. He hires an actor to play him but becomes too perfect. This is not exactly an upbeat film and I thought that it may be a bit too long. However, it comes along pretty well with a great performance from Hoffman. Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams, Emily Watson, and many others co-star in this film. This reminded me some of a Fellini film and it is one where you must be able to give attention and maybe view it again. It was quite an experience to view this one, just be prepared.
The Wicker Man (1973): I guess this is my Pagan selection for the holiday season. Edward Woodward stars as Sergeant Howie who is investigating the disappearance of a young girl and ends up on a strange island where the locals are not the most cooperative. Christopher Lee plays Lord Summerisle who is the head of the island. Britt Ekland co-stars in the film as Willow and has quite a dance scene. In 2006, there was a remake where Nicolas Cage plays the sheriff and Ellen Burstyn plays Sister Summerisle, something that apparently really dismayed Lee having a woman in that part. I have not seen the remake and I have heard I have not missed much. There was a lot of beautiful Celtic music with some very strange Pagan rituals which really dismayed the devout christian Sergeant Howie during his investigation. Lee was very good as Summerisle in this film and even did the movie for free as he wanted to expand his acting horizons. We also get to her his musical side where he sang a couple songs which shows he has a pretty decent singing voice. I assume the beginning disclaimer was some kind of fiction but sets the tone pretty well leading to a great climax. I recorded this from the IFC channel.
Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro (1980): I now bring some early anime with the famous Anime character of the title. Lupin the Third is a world renowned thief who in this one travels to the town of Cagliostro looking to investigate some perfectly forged money only to find a conspiracy dating back many years. Lupin and his sidekick Jigen then see that a beautiful princess is being held captive and they look to rescue her while uncovering the conspiracy. This character started with a tv series in the late 70s of Lupin which lasted about 3 years. Lupin is the grandson of a the "Gentlemen Thief" and I guess in a sense is a Robin Hood type. He is very flamboyant and leads a group of thieves. There have been quite a few movies since the series. This one here is available on Instant Netflix so if you Anime, go check this out if you have not seen it. This is anime with a good mix of action and comedy.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week which so far includes Ralph Fiennes, more Philip Seymour Hoffman, another CHRISTMAS CAROL adapation, Peter Sellers, Janet Leigh, and many others. I have an honorable mention for the week so please read on.
HONORABLE MENTION: AUDIO PLAY
Sweeney Todd and the String of Pearls (2007): I checked this out at my local library. This is considered an Audio Melodrama where there are actors doing the voices for each part. Yuri Rasovsky wrote this melodrama. Most of us know Sweeney Todd from that Stephen Sondheim musical SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. However, there were many adaptations to this story long before that musical. This is more based on the original story THE STRING OF PEARLS, A ROMANCE written in 1846 as a penny dreadful serial with apparently no credited author. I'll just give the basic plot to all Sweeney Todd stories where Sweeney is a murderous barber who kills his clients and has a partnership with Mrs. Lovett who has a meat pie shop where he provides her with the meat she needs. In this story, Sweeney is a lot more maniacal and just seems to take pleasure from what he does. In the Sondheim musical, Sweeney is given a reason for what he does as he is wrongly sent to prison and looks to avenge the corrupt Judge Turpin who wrongly sent him to prison while also killing everyone else who "deserves" it. The characters mostly remain the same except just used different. This is a 2-disk series that takes about 2 and a half hours and is a pretty well-done production from The Hollywood Theater of the Ear which won some Audie awards which is an award show for Audiobooks but this is more than a book but kind of like a radio play. Sweeney Todd is said to have been a real person but is a big subject of debate though possibly based on other people and becoming an early Urban Legend. Nonetheless, Sweeney will always have his place in historical pop culture thanks to people like Sondheim.
Rouge Pictures recently sent us over the official poster and trailer for "Take Me Home Tonight".
As the summer of 1988 winds down, three friends on the verge of adulthood attend an out-of-control party in celebration of their last night of unbridled youth. Starring Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler and Teresa Palmer, Take Me Home Tonight is a raunchy, romantic and ultimately touching blast from the past set to an awesome soundtrack of timeless rock and hip-hop hits.
Recent MIT grad Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) should be working for a Fortune 500 company and starting his upward climb to full-fledged yuppie-hood. Instead, the directionless 23-year-old confounds family and friends by taking a part-time job behind the counter of a video store at the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
But Matt’s silent protest against maturity comes to a screeching halt once his unrequited high school crush, Tori Frederking (Teresa Palmer), walks into the store. When she invites him to an epic, end-of-summer party, Matt thinks he finally might have a chance with the girl of his dreams. With his cynical twin sister Wendy (Anna Faris) and best friend Barry (Dan Fogler), Matt embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime evening. From stealing a car to a marriage proposal to an indescribable, no-holds-barred dance-off, these friends share experiences that will change the course of their lives on one unforgettable night in the Go-Go ’80s.
TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT opens nationwide on March 4th, 2011.
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"Take Me Home Tonight": Official Trailer
Phase 4 Films is proud to announce the January 11th, 2011 home entertainment release of Katie Aselton's critically acclaimed THE FREEBIE. Since premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January, THE FREEBIE has become one of the most talked about independent films of the year. Written, directed and starring Katie Aselton (from the hit TV show THE LEAGUE), THE FREEBIE centers on a happily married couple with a stalled sex life who look to spice things up by agreeing to an experiment: for one night each partner can freely cheat on the other with no repercussions. Dax Shepard (PARENTHOOD) co-stars alongside Aselton. The film was executive produced by Aselton and Mark Duplass (CYRUS) and produced by Adele Romanski (MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER). Phase 4 Films is releasing THE FREEBIE on DVD and VOD on January 11th, 2011. Darren (Shepard) and Annie (Aselton) have an enviable relationship built on love trust and communication -- they still enjoy each other's company and laugh at each other's jokes, but, unfortunately, they can't remember the last time they had sex. When a dinner party conversation leads to an honest discussion about the state of their love life, they begin to flirt with a way to spice things up. The deal: one night of freedom, no strings attached, no questions asked. Could a "freebie" be the cure for their ailing sex life? And will they go through with it? With a keen eye and fresh take, Aselton's directorial debut shines with crisp storytelling and fine-tuned performances. THE FREEBIE is an insightful and humorous look at love, sustaining relationships, and the awkwardness of monogamy when the haze of lust has faded. DVD Bonus Features: Audio commentary with Katie Aselton and Dax Shepard, Theatrical Trailer, National Freebie Day PSAs, Photo Gallery DVD SRP: $29.99 For more information, please visit: www.untie-theknot.com "The Freebie" Official Trailer
I AM, a prismatic and probing exploration of our world, what's wrong with it, and what we can do to make it better, represents Tom Shadyac's first foray into non-fiction following a career as one of Hollywood's leading comedy practitioners, with such successful titles as "Ace Ventura," "Liar Liar," and "Bruce Almighty" to his credit. I AM recounts what happened to the filmmaker after a cycling accident left him incapacitated, possibly for good. Though he ultimately recovered, he emerged a changed man. Disillusioned with life on the A-list, he sold his house, moved to a mobile home community, and decided to start life anew.
Armed with nothing but his innate curiosity and a camera crew, Shadyac embarks upon a journey to discover how he as an individual, and we as a race, can improve the way we live. Appearing on-screen as character, commentator, guide, and even, at times, guinea pig, Shadyac meets with a variety of thinkers and doers--remarkable men and women from the worlds of science, philosophy, and faith--including such luminaries as David Suzuki, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lynne McTaggart, Ray Anderson, John Francis, Coleman Barks, and Marc Ian Barasch. An irrepressible Everyman who asks many questions but offers no easy answers, he takes the audience to places it has never been before, and presents even familiar phenomena in completely new and different ways.
"I AM" hits theaters in limited release, this February
For more information on this film, you can visit the official website at:http://www.iamthedoc.com
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"I AM": Official Trailer
Aspiring author Eddie Morra (Cooper) is suffering from chronic writer’s block, but his life changes instantly when an old friend introduces him to NZT, a revolutionary new pharmaceutical that allows him to tap his full potential. With every synapse crackling, Eddie can recall everything he has ever read, seen or heard, learn any language in a day, comprehend complex equations and beguile anyone he meets—as long as he keeps taking the untested drug.
Soon Eddie takes Wall Street by storm, parlaying a small stake into millions. His accomplishments catch the eye of mega-mogul Carl Van Loon (De Niro), who invites him to help broker the largest merger in corporate history. But they also bring Eddie to the attention of people willing to do anything to get their hands on his stash of NZT. With his life in jeopardy and the drug’s brutal side effects taking their toll, Eddie dodges mysterious stalkers, a vicious gangster and an intense police investigation as he attempts to hang on to his dwindling supply long enough to outwit his enemies.
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Stephanie (Amber Heard) and Ellie’s (Odette Yustman) vacation to an exotic village in Argentina is a perfect ‘girl’s getaway’ to bask in the sun, shop and flirt with the handsome locals. After a long night of bar-hopping, the girls get into an argument, and Stephanie heads out alone in the morning to cool off. But when she returns, Ellie has disappeared. Finding signs of a struggle, Stephanie fears the worst, and turns to the police for help. But the local authorities have their hands full already - with a string of unsolved kidnappings targeting young female tourists. Skeptical of the sheriff’s competency, she enlists help from Michael (Karl Urban), an American ex-pat staying at their hotel. Together they go on a frantic search for Ellie, but Stephanie soon realizes that trusting his seemingly good intentions may drag her farther from the truth. With danger mounting, and time running out, Stephanie must find her friend before darkness falls.
"And Soon the Darkness": Official Trailer
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It has taken me forever to come to a conclusion on why I am not completely recommending this film. I am always pleased to see veteran character Jamey Sheridan (THE ICE STORM,SYRIANNA) leave the Great White Way and grace us with his presence. Actually the film has really good performances, especially from Campbell Scott (DAMAGES). The whole cast is made up of some of our greatest unsung character actors working today with even a decent script. So why do I feel cold?
Jamey Sheridan plays Harry Sweeney, a likable loner that has a storied past from his Navy days. He gets a call from the dying Steve Buscemi (BOARDWALK EMPIRE), who asks him to fulfill a last wish. During their term of service, they maliciously wounded a fellow sailor; David Kagan, because he was homosexual. During the group assault, someone drops an armature on Kagan, ruining his promising career as a concert pianist. Buscemi believes he was the one that permanently damaged Kagan’s right hand and wants Harry to ask Kagan for forgiveness, an event Harry has very little memory of. This sends the reluctant Harry on a journey to seek out his fellow sailors and find Kagan. Of course, Harry learns of his own involvement in an act so terrible, a dying man would think he is going to hell for it.
To HANDSOME HARRY’S defense, the script holds up its part of the bargain. Harry is an unreliable narrator, and in many ways, the villain of the story. He invades a lot of people lives, and even ends a marriage over an incident everyone wants to forget. Meanwhile, Harry denies culpability claiming no memory throughout the film, despite evidence to the contrary. But no villain sees himself as the bad guy in his own story and neither does Harry.
It is refreshing to see a film from the viewpoint of the guilty and not the victim, which leads to themes of forgiveness, which do work in the film. It is possible that Harry remembers everything, and so does Buscemi. And that Buscemi really does not care about his own salvation, but of Harry’s, who still has years of life to live. Unfortunately for Harry, there’s no real closure and the audience doesn’t need him to be forgiven. Stories like this rarely have happy endings and I enjoyed the film more that Harry ends up seeing himself as a person who may not be quite so righteous after all.
So the story and acting are there, along with themes that parallel current issues with repealing DADT. Yet I feel just “meh” about this film overall. It took awhile but I think what leaves me disappointed is the not story itself, but the nature of the storytelling. This film is only a good film with a decent script, instead of a great film with Oscar caliber acting, which addresses the subjects of forgiveness and honesty.
It is very trendy to tell “war” stories in a “Rashamon” style, and the most successful recent example was 2008’s WALTZ WITH BASHIR. The reason that BASHIR succeeds wins when HARRY falters is simply that BASHIR has the luck of being an animated tale. The incredible visuals blind the audience to a movie that is actually pretty repetitive. No such luck with HARRY. Harry goes from one place to another to learn about a horrible transgression he claims he doesn’t remember and we have to see the same type of scenes again and again to learn small chunks of the larger picture. But this history is pretty obvious from shot one. In other more successful versions of this type of storytelling, each new sequence gives new and illuminating insight to the incident and people involved. But the direction in HANSOME HARRY is so foreshadowing that when it comes to the “big reveal,” you’re not surprised. The structure hurts what would be an otherwise cracking screenplay. I would have rather seen a film about the incident itself instead of a film told in flashback and monologue, which slows the story down to an exposition crawl. By the time the final scene with Kagan arrives, you are almost too bored to care if Harry gets or deserves the forgiveness he’s seeking.
If you like any of the actors, you might find this to be a nice film to visit on DVD, but it’s unfortunate that it will not stick with you. Jamey Sheridan should get to star in more movies as he carries this film, proving he is certainly up to the task. I hope his next film will be one that I can recommend but is also noticed by the Academy. GRADE C+
"Handsome Harry" comes out on DVD, December 28th.
“There is no better moment than this moment, when we're anticipating the actual moment itself. All of the moments that lead up to the actual moment are truly the best moments. Those are the moments that are filled with good times. Those are the moments in which you are able to think that it is going to be perfect, when the moment actually happens. But, the moment is reality, and reality always kinda sucks!”
-Lewis Black
I put that quote up above because it more or less symbolizes what I feel about the over promotion Disney did for the long awaited sequel to “Tron”: The company overhyped it to an alarming degree, making several different movie trailers, spending a good three years promoting it to no end. With this kind of marketing, many will go in thinking that “Tron: Legacy” will be one of the greatest movies ever made.
As for myself, I weary of the hype and try to go into most movies (particularly ones like these) with no expectations whatsoever. In fact, I think it’s better to watch most films with the lowest expectations possible. With hype that has greeted movies like this one or the “Star Wars” prequels or even “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” it is oh so easy to be incredibly disappointed by the finished product. Nothing ever does come out as well as it does in our own minds.
Well, reality may suck, but I didn’t think “Tron: Legacy” did. I walked in expecting a fun time, tickled to death that Disney actually had the balls to make a sequel to a movie that was not a big box office success to begin with. At the very least, this sequel which has been in the making for 28 years is really more of a continuation of what came before it. What it may lack in a fully coherent storyline it more than makes up for with amazing visual effects, a fantastic score by Daft Punk, and a pair of great performances from the always reliable (and no longer underappreciated) Jeff Bridges.
So here’s the story behind “Tron: Legacy”; after saying goodnight to his son Sam, Kevin Flynn rides off to Encom to work on a new digital frontier that will revolutionize the world of technology the way we all see it. Instead, he is soon reported as to have disappeared without a trace. Shift to a good 20 or so years later, and Sam has become a rebellious young kid with strong technology skills he gleefully uses to thwart the executives at Encom who look to profit and exploit Flynn’s work, the same work that he wanted to make available to us all without putting a price tag on it.
Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner, also returning from the original) comes to Sam’s domicile one night informing him that he got a page from his dad the other night, and that it came from a line at Flynn’s Arcade which has been shut down for 20 years. Sam ends up going into the arcade to see what’s what, and we all know what happens from there. Sam gets sucked into “the grid” the same way his father was, and is forced to fight for his life by hurling discs and racing light cycles like no one else.
The premise behind “Tron: Legacy” is actually quite interesting when you think about it: Kevin Flynn ends up developing a more advanced version of his Clu program (who appeared in the first movie) that of course looks exactly like him. Together, they work to create the perfect system that could bring about a new kind of life form never before thought possible. But somewhere along the line, Clu grows resentful and comes to see a world of perfection far more differently than his creator, and he soon turns against Flynn, making himself the ruler of all programs. As a result, Flynn ends up being trapped in “the grid” with no way out.
Throughout, we watch as Clu coldly eliminates those programs that do not meet his ridiculously high standards. It’s an interesting Frankenstein motif in how a creation runs amuck despite the master’s best intentions (and we all know where that leads to). It also reminded me of a line from “Star Trek: First Contact” which the Borg Queen said to Data as she held him captive:
“You’re an imperfect being created by an imperfect being. Finding your weakness is only a matter of time.”
The visual effects are unsurprisingly amazing, and they clearly reflect just how far technology has come since 1983. This time, they are much more fluid to where not everything is shown going in a straight line, and this gives the action scenes far more friction than they had in the original (not that I want to take away from that one). The use of dark and neon like colors doesn’t feel at all dated, and the costumes have been given a much needed upgrade. There’s no more of those bulky suits those red guards of
You can also count on a bunch of easter eggs throughout that pay homage to “Tron” and the characters that inhabited it like Dumont played by the late Bernard Hughes. Some locations are revisited, and some infamous lines are repeated without being too showy. It can be fun revisiting the past even if it will never be quite the same.
By having the story focus on Flynn’s son, it seemed like Disney was desperately trying to court the youth demographics and would have been happy to put any teen or young adult heartthrob into the role. Garrett Hedlund, however, turns out to be quite good and holds his own with Jeff Bridges. It’s not a great performance, but he does do solid work here and keeps his character from becoming some annoyingly whiny brat whose daddy issues get the best of him. Garrett does however have the disadvantage of having to utter some of the movie’s cheesiest lines like:
“This isn’t happening.”
“This can’t be good.”
Now when people say stuff like that, I can’t help but roll my eyes. Garrett’s success here comes from the fact that he kept me from doing that.
Another actor I enjoyed watching in “Tron: Legacy” was Olivia Wilde who played the warrior program Quorra. She has a strong and engaging presence here, and her role as a Data-like figure eager to learn more about the real world leads to some of the movie’s more intimate moments as well as some of its funniest. And yes, she does kick major ass in the action scenes, easily derezzing those evil programs without breaking a sweat.
But one actor I truly got a kick out of watching was the great Michael Sheen who plays Castor, the owner of the End Of The Line Club in
But of course, we have to acknowledge Jeff Bridges who will always remain one of my all time favorite movie actors. Jeff’s performance here reminded of just how good he was in the original in that he never let the special effects overwhelm his character of Kevin Flynn. Even though he was probably acting much of the time against a green screen, he makes himself feel like part of the reality, almost completely making us forget that he was acting with practically nothing to begin with during the making of this visual effects heavy film. Many other actors would probably be driven nuts by not having much to work with, but never Jeff.
Oh, and if you listen close enough, there is a line designed to instantly remind you of his infamous role in “The Big Lebowski.” Seriously, you’ll know it when it comes!
Yes, the story does have plot holes and some wooden dialogue, but so did the original. Thankfully though, none of it is as puke inducing as any words George Lucas ever put to paper in recent years! “Tron: Legacy” does also get a bit too slowed down by exposition which could have been shortened some. All the same, I’m glad that the writers didn’t just get lazy and bring back the Master Control Program (MCP) as if it was never defeated back in 1983. Most sequels these days seem to regurgitate the original, but the filmmakers clearly had more in mind this time around.
As far as I know, this is Joseph Kosinski’s feature film directing debut. In the past, he has received much acclaim for the “Mad World” commercial for the video game Gears Of War, and IMDB has him slated to direct the remake of “The Black Hole” (oh please!). For my money, he does a much better job of blending actors with special effects than George Lucas did with those “Star Wars” prequels. While he may need to work in humanizing the characters a bit more in these visual effects spectacles, Joseph does well in keeping “Tron: Legacy” from becoming overly-cheesy or infinitely monotonous.
And of course, I do want to acknowledge the soundtrack by Daft Punk. Although my first choice for scoring this film would have been Hybrid, Daft Punk does seem like a perfect fit for this kind of material which serves as their first official film score. Many I know expressed disappointment over the CD of their soundtrack because they felt it sounded nothing like their albums, but that’s ridiculous when you think about it. Like the brilliant score Wendy Carlos did for the first film, their music is a strong mix of orchestral and electronic elements which does a great job of bringing more humanism and emotion to a wholly technological world. To simply create a score of back to back dance tunes that would bring out a sweat in all of us would not have worked.
I don’t know, maybe I am not being hard enough on “Tron: Legacy.” Could it have been a better film? Sure, but why can’t we just be happy that Disney took the big risk of making a sequel to it? For what it is, I enjoyed it a lot and admired the fact that it was made by people who respected what came before it. 28 years is a massively long time to wait for any sequel, and recapturing the magic of its predecessor is usually asking for far too much. “Tron: Legacy” however was worth the wait for me, and I would certainly be open to seeing it again while it is still in theaters.
Still, I have to wonder, can human beings really exist in a digital world even though they are users instead of programs. Can a program actually be brought into the real world? Oh who cares! I had fun!
End of line.
***½ out of ****
Incidentally, I did see the movie in 3D, and the effects are quite good. There is a note at the start of it saying that some scenes were shot intentionally in 2D, and the 3D really doesn’t kick in until Sam gets inside the world of the computer.
