Jim Carrey's Back in YES MAN!

I’m a big Jim Carrey fan and there are very few films on his resume that I don’t like. Although his new film YES MAN is not one of his best, it is a lamentable effort from the man from LIAR, LIAR and ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE. YES MAN is the story of Carl Allen (Carrey), a bank loan officer, who after being dumped by his former girlfriend has denied himself the pleasures of life simply by saying “No” to every opportunity that has come his way. As luck would have it, Carl encounters an old friend Nick (John Michael Higgins) who forever changes his life when he invites Carl to a seminar that will help him change his self image by saying “Yes” to any and all opportunities that come his way.

When Carl begins to say “Yes” to everything that comes his way his life changes in a way that he could have never predicted as he soon believes that chance is dictated by the choices that he does or does not make. He meets a singer Allison (Zooey Deschanel) who allows him to open up and become the man which he’s kept hidden for far too long and he learns that saying “Yes” is not always bad, but when it becomes too much of a burden to bare Carl must find a way to sometimes say “No” before his life begins to crumble around him.

YES MAN works because it plays on Carrey’s strengths as a physical actor. There are many shades of LIAR, LIAR and BRUCE ALMIGHTY contained within but where the film ultimately falls short on is the basic concept itself which is of a man who is forced t always say “Yes.” This comes off a tad bit tame for a Carrey movie especially after his previous efforts and even though the film has many funny moments it feels as if we’ve seen Carrey do it all in previous films. Not a film to rush out and see but still a Carrey-light film nevertheless.

Shinya Tsukamoto's Newest Masterpiece - NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE

I’ve been a fan of writer & director Shinya Tsukamoto since I first experienced TETSU: THE IRON MAN (1992), which was a mind-blowing. That film tested the patience and mind of the viewer taking him/her into a technological nightmare of techno machinery. Tsukamoto’s newest film NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE is a different animal altogether.

This new film focuses on a Detective Keika Kirishima (Hitomi) who is investigating a series of unusual suicides that she in fact believes are murders. She believes that the people are being driven to suicide by the mysterious “O” (Shinya Tsukamoto), who has the ability to enter people’s nightmare’s in order to kill them. She enlists the aid of a eccentric man by the name of Akumu Tantei (Ryuhei Matsuda) who helps people by going into their dreams to help them overcome some of their deepest fears. Akumu is distraught over the death of the last person he tried to help that killed himself. He hopes that by helping the Det. Kirishima that he will be able to overcome some of his own fears and frustrations.

Like many of Tsukamoto’s previous films this is a slow burning experience that has a huge payoff in the end that will satisfy even the most jaded of Tsukamoto fans. It’s not as much a head trip as his best films like TETSUO II: BODY HAMMER (1992), A SNAKE OF JUNE (2002), HIRUKO THE GOBLIN (1991), and GEMINI (1991). This is one of his more accessible films to larger audiences which should bring more people to his older films which is always good.

Film Review: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (2008)

As a remake THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (2008) is one of the few films that I was looking forward to due to the fact that I’ve never seen the original one therefore there would be nothing in the way preventing me from enjoying the re-imagined one for the new age and a different audience. Now I like a good sci-fi film as much as the next person but even with all the amazing special FX on display in this film it’s a shame that the film is just mediocre in the long run.

The film is the story on an alien by the name Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) who comes to Earth in the form of a human being in order to help the humans change their damaging ways before the Earth is doomed. He finds help in scientist Helen Jackson (Jennifer Connnelly) who believes that she can help Klaatu with his mission. When she discovers that it is Klaatu’s mission to save the Earth from the humans she sets upon a mission to change Klaatu’s mind before the Earth is destroyed.

The film is very light on action until the big finale at the end and it plays more as a film on a journey/road trip from one place to the next sort of like STARMAN or CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, both of which were slow burning sci-fi dramas. This film comes off as a late Summer/early Fall release rather than a Winter blockbuster release therefore my expectations were not met. It’s also a film seem to meander through the plot going nowhere fast. There are some eye-catching moments especially at the end of the film when the alien protector GORT disassembles into millions of alien bugs that devour everything in its path.

Written by David Scarpa (based upon the original 1951 screenplay by Edmund H. North) THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL is made relevant to our times in regards to our constant disregard for the planet that we live on. Maybe with a more inspired director (which was directed by Scott Derickson) the film could have been better then it is otherwise it just comes off as just another easily forgettable big-budget blockbuster that falls flat.

French Horror At the Top of Its Game With the New Horror Film INSIDE

The French seem to be the only filmmakers lately producing quality horror films lately from HIGH TENSION to FRONTIERS and now to the INSIDE. Written by Alexandre Bustillo and directed by Bustillo and Julien Maury INSIDE is a claustrophobic thrill ride into terror from beginning to end. Sarah (Alysson Paradis) is depressed and trying to get over the death of her unborn child’s father, who died in a car accident leaving three people dead and only her as the lone survivor. She’s been aloft from everyone she knows and would just like to be left alone until her child is born. Then one night a woman (Beatrice Dalle) shows up on her doorstep.

The woman seems to know more about Sarah then at first glance and when the woman refuses to leave, Sarah finds herself trapped within her own home by the strange woman whom she soon discovers wants to steal her unborn baby. What follows is one of the most tense and disturbing psychological and gory horror films to come about all year.

The film works on many levels. Not only will the gore-hounds be satisfied with the bloodshed but the psychological battle between the two women is top rate and actors Dalle and Paradis are electrifying on screen. It’s a shame that this film didn’t get a theatrical release here in the states as it is one of the few films that truly deserved one.

INSIDE is testament that the horror genre is not dead even though it may seem so with all the remakes (i.e. ONE MISSED CALL, HALLOWEEN, THE EYE, and FRIDAY THE 13th), endless sequels (i.e. SAW, UNDERWORLD, and FINAL DESTINATION), and teen horror films (i.e. PROM NIGHT, HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY, and SHUTTER) that seem to populate the box office.

Robert England returns to Horror With JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER

Jack Brooks (Trevor Matthews) suffers from anger management that stems from when he was a child on a camping trip with his family and he watched a monster appear out of no where and kill them all except for him who hid away unable to do anything. Now grown up Jack is a plumber and sometimes student of Professor Gordon Crowley (Robert England) who one day asks Jack to help unclog the pipes in his old house.

What Jack unclogs at Prof. Crowley’s house is an age-old evil that takes possession of Crowley. During one night at class the monster within Crowley unleashes itself and decides to take control of everyone in Jack’s class by turning them into monsters. Narrowly escaping the first attack, Jack decides that enough is enough and that he can no longer run from the monsters. When Jack takes a stand it’s not only to help his fellow classmates, but to restore his faith in himself for having let his parents die. Its also the only way in which Jack believes he can control his anger management issues.

JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER is a fun filled action-comedy-horror film in the vein of EVIL DEAD II. Even though there is less horror and more action-comedy the film is a treat for all genre filmgoers. England gives a formidable performance that’s as fun as Freddy Kruger, if not more so. Matthews is uneven in parts but it adds to the chaotic nature of Jack’s manic nature.

Written by Jon Knautz (who also directed) and John Ainslie the film is a mixture of pulp monster fun and action-comedy lunacy that just makes for the perfect cult film. Although there are no (as yet) plans for a sequel this is one franchise I would love to see continue.

PUNISHER: WAR ZONE is Bloody Good Fun!

Of all the Marvel Comics comic book characters history and the film industry has been the most unkind to The Punisher. The anti-hero one-man killing machine with no superhuman powers or abilities is the least flashy when compared to Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, or even Blade, so why make a third film based on the character? Simply put, because third times a charm and PUNISHER: WAR ZONE actual tries to finally get the character right after the previous missteps.

It’s fair to say that 1989’s Dolph Lundgren fiasco wanted nothing to do with the character from the comic other then call Lundgren’s character Frank Castle and the 2004 Thomas Jane version, while retailing the signature costume, wanted to play up Castle’s strategic prowess rather then his vengeful one. The 2004 version was light on violence, which cannot be said of the all-new re-imagined Ray Stevenson Frank Castle. Stevenson’s Castle (whom does take a few liberties with the costume) is the perfect embodiment of Marvel’s anti-hero.

The Punisher is a one-man killing machine out to rid the city of all criminal elements. When he accidental kills an undercover police office he wonders if it is time to hang up the hat and move on, but when a mob thug Billy Russoti (Dominic West), whom he thought he killed returns from the dead looking for a little payback (and his stolen money) all bets are off. The vain Russoti with his disfigured façade now goes by the name of Jigsaw and with the help of his mental patient brother Loony Bin Jim (Doug Hutchinson) they plan to put the city aflame and get what belongs to them even if they have to kill the Punisher to get it.

One of the faults of the previous two films is the lack or willingness to faithfully go the distance from the source material especially in terms of villains and violenc, which this film does not disappoint. West’s interpretation of Jigsaw is down right spot on and the violence and carnage is more then all of the other Marvel comics-based films combined. It’s a shame that this film has so much baggage that came before it as I’m sure that audiences would appreciate the journey it took to finally bring the “real” character to the big screen. This version is by no means a perfect film as at times it borders on camp and the use of a child as a way to bring sympathy to Castle’s more sensitive side is far from original. I’m sure that the film will find its audience once the naysayers give it a chance when in comes to DVD.

Paul Rudd & Sean William Scott are ROLE MODELS

ROLE MODELS is the story of Wheeler & Danny (Sean William Scott & Paul Rudd, respectively), two spokesmen for the energy drink Minotaur. While Wheeler is content with his seemingly dead-end job, Danny feels like he’s at the end of his life with nothing to show for it and he can’t do anything about it until he discovers that his girlfriend Beth (Elizabeth Banks) says that she’s leaving him, which drives his over the edge. Unable to contain the anger within he gets Wheeler in enough trouble that the law decides the best way to punish the two is to force them into community service.

Their penance is to become role models for two young troubled kids. This wouldn’t be so bad if the two kids Augie and Ronnie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Bobb’e J. Thompson, respectively) hated role models as much as they hated everything else. The two kids have as many problems as Wheeler & Danny but hopefully together they will learn to know what it truly means to have friendship.

Hollywood is not known for its original comedies and there is nothing new here that audiences have seen before. That being said the film as written by Paul Rudd, David Wain, Ken Marino, and Timothy Dowling still has a few Aces up the leave mainly with Rudd in an unconventional role as far removed as his characters in previous films and Thompson as Ronnie, whom Wheeler role models, whose trash talking African American kid is a natural and steals every scene he’s in. Other then that this is yet another easily forgotten Sean William Scott film that will have its admirers yet still remain nothing you haven’t already seen done better before.

Zombies Rule! In the new indie film AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION

There are low budget zombie films and then there is AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION. Forget about what the title actually means (since the filmmakers have already stressed that this is the first part of an ongoing franchise) and be open to the insane madness that is written & director Steven C. Miller’s love song to the zombie horror genre. Although this film has many cliché’s and is predictable from beginning to end, AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION is a guilty pleasure in the same vein as Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE (aka ZOMBIE 2). The story concerns a group of party hungry teenagers who find themselves in the middle of a zombie outbreak.

None of this is at all new since the genre has been of late over-stocked with zombie films of every shape and size (with no signs of it ending any time soon). Even though most of the characters are throw away it’s fun to see what Miller will throw at them next and at only a mere 75 minutes long the film is fast and furious pulling no punches which should make all horror-gore junkies happy as well as the zombie film lovers.

I for one love a good zombie film but I also recognize the fun ones as well and this film falls in the latter category. You may be at first turned off by the idea of the film but if you’re a “true” zombie film fan there is much to enjoy in this film.

One of the sad details of this first film in the franchise is that it doesn’t go into details about how the outbreak started. This is hinted at in the closing moments of the film but is left open for the impending sequel (which should be released sometime in 2009). This may put a few people off but rest assured the filmmakers have promised an expansion which will need to be exceptional if they plan on going further then the second film (which I hope they do because I’m always in the mood for a good, entertaining gore-fest!).

AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION may not be the best zombie film ever made but is one of the fun ones.

The Pang Bros. Return with the dismal THE EYE 3

I’m usually a huge fan of Danny & Oxide Pang’s films but THE EYE 3 is one of their most incompetent films bordering on ludicrous drivel that should have never been committed to celluloid. I don’t blame this on the cast because if this was meant to be a comedy instead of a horror film then the Pang’s outdid themselves. Where the first two films presented audiences with disturbing ghost stories (the first film recently having its own Americanized remake with Jessica Alba), this film is nothing short of wasteful trash.

The film concerns a group of friends who find themselves visiting a friend’s home in Thailand where they play a game which will allow them to see ghosts. Sounds like an interesting idea for a film but the ways in which they play the game is what makes the film so ludicrous. One of the games has them bending over frontwards and looking between their legs to see ghosts while another one has them trying to give food to the ghosts while also banging on empty bowls. It’s nothing short of laughable, so, much so that it almost found myself taking the film out to get away from it.

Most of the Pang’s career consists of ghost stories which they tend to excel at only in this film it seemed as if they were trying to just grab another paycheck (king of like them remaking their own film BANGKOK DANGEROUS for the American market). It’s hard to recommend this film to people other then fans of the Pang brothers…then again I don’t recommend it fans either as it rarely ever feels like a Pang brothers film.

Just skip this movie. See one of the first two films again. You’ll be glad I warned you.

Film Review: HOUSE (2008)

To say that the horror genre has been lacking this year is an understatement as the few that have performed well at the box office or have actually connected with audiences is few and far in between (the few being THE ORPHANAGE, PROM NIGHT, THE STRANGERS, and SAW V, to name a few) while others has simply gone ignored (i.e. THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY, MIRRORS, ONE MISSED CALL, THE EYE, and the list goes on). This new horror hodge-podge HOUSE (2008) is no different as it tries to present the complex ideas of the original Ted Dekker & Frank Peretti novel.

Screenplay by Rob Green, HOUSE is the story of two couples who after an automobile accident find themselves trapped in a nearby home that’s run by a delusion family with nefarious deeds on the mind. The film is filled with a cast of unknowns but is cluttered with B-movie horror starlets from Michael Madsen, Leslie Easterbrook, and Bill Moseley. Even they can’t help this muddled mess of a film. Although the film does a lamentable job of trying to stay in tune with the dying “torture porn” film movement it is too much too late as everything presented feels like it’s been done to death and with a characters that are less then interesting the film is at times a labor to seat through due to the abundance of clichés.

One of the film’s saving graces is Marcin Koszalka’s cinematography which gives the film the perfect horror film ambiance, which is probably why it was given a theatrical release instead of heading straight to the DVD waste bin (as most of this film’s B-movie starlets other films). There are some that will enjoy the “torture porn” aspects of the film but the lack of a coherent story (and characters that drive that story) will ultimately leave audiences empty.

Teen-Horror & THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY

The PG-13 horror boom continues with this possession/demonic thriller THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY but unlike its current predecessors (i.e. PROM NIGHT, THE EYE, SHUTTER, and ONE MISSED CALL, to name a few) this film actually feels like it should be a PG-13 film as it is a character film that happens to have supernatural elements in it.

Molly Hartley (Haley Bennet) is about to turn eighteen at which point a deep and dark secret from her family’s past will surface and turn her world upside down. She is already experiencing a sense of isolation since she’s now living with her father (played by Jake Weber) after being attacked and almost killed by her own mother. Written by John Travis & Rebecca Sonnenshine THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY is a quest for one woman’s search for the truth about her life and where she fits in the world whether it be the recipient of demonic possession/forces or as a victim to the possibly deluded.

After the abysmal SHUTTER, ONE MISSED CALL, and PROM NIGHT, it was good to see a PG-13 film that didn’t play down to the audience. This is due mainly to director Mickey Liddell and his star Bennett, who presents a vulnerable and fragile woman who is confused by the situation put in by her parents who were taken advantage of by an unscrupulous character.
It is a shame that the film was ignored by audiences upon its theatrical release (they were all out watching the ever reliable SAW V) because the film is actually one of the better teenage horror films to come along in a long while.

BRUTAL MASSACRE: A COMEDY - The Comedy-Horror of the Year!

There are horror films and then there are horror films, but if that’s what you’re looking for then you won’t find it here. What you will find in BRUTAL MASSACRE: A COMEDY is one of the best self-referential horror-comedies to ever come around in quite a long time. You wouldn’t think so at first look from its story about an over the hill horror film director Harry Penderecki (David Naughton) who has one last chance to turn his luck around with his “can’t miss” screenplay BRUTAL MASSACRE, but you see, no matter what Pendereck does his productions are always plagued by misfortune and bad luck.

Along for the ride in Penderecki’s last chance is his assistant director Jay (Brian O’Halloran), his producer Natalie (Ellen Sandweiss), his cinematographer Hanu (Gerry Bednob), and his best boy electrician Carl (Ken Foree). Writter & director Stevan Mena unveils the truth about indie filmmaking, maybe even a little too much, and the the film is all the better for it. Naughton creates a tragic yet very likable Penderecki whom you just can’t help but to emphasize with.

Another great asset is the amazing supporting cast whom any classic & cult horror fan will recognize from FROM BEYOND and DAWN OF THE DEAD’s (both versions) Foree to TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE’s Gunnar Hansen, who is hands down the best character in the film and will keep you laughing from being to end (why he never did comedy before this film is anyone’s guess since its obvious that it comes naturally to him).

Naughton is in top form as the luckless Penderecki and it’s a shame that up until now his career has been over shadowed by his turn in AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. Director Mena has done an excellent job at balancing the comedy and “horror” elements of the film while also maintaining the film’s integrity of presenting an “honest” look into indie filmmaking. Definitely one of the films to look out for.

Artificial Intelligence and EAGLE EYE

The new Dreamworks action film EAGLE EYE is definitely an action film in the vein of such films as VANTAGE POINT, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, or THE INTERPRETER but filtered through the lens of Steven Spielberg (who is one of the producers on the film) so the story is loose and fantastic and the action is fast and suspenseful. The main reason I wanted to see this film is because of actor Shia LaBeouf who has come unto his own since DISTURBIA, TRANSFORMERS, and INDIANA JONES 4.

I’m not giving anything away (since the plot is so transparent) when I reveal that the film is about an artificial machine/program that takes over when it believes that the government has acted immoral when it comes to recent terrorist actions. It decides to use everything in its power to manipulate people and things to help it overthrow our current government. It may sound a lot like the recent film STEALTH but it’s routes in sci-fi are much more down-played.

Even with the “by-the-numbers” script on hand EAGLE EYE is extremely entertaining from beginning to end, due in part by the great cast assembled which also includes Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, than Embry, Michael Chiklis, and Billy Bob Thornton. This being said, EAGLE EYE is also highly forgettable like many of the other action films released thus far this year (i.e. BABYLON A.D. and MAX PAYNE, among others).

The film was written by John Glee, Travis Wright, Hillary Seitz, and Dan McDermott and directed by D.J. Caruso.

Keira Knightley as THE DUCHESS

THE DUCHESS just shows that actor Keira Knightley can do just about anything if she puts her mind to it. This period story about Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire’s (Knightley) life as a mother and a political figure among sexual scandal is far from an original concept but writers Jeffrey Hatcher, Anders Thomas Jensen, and Saul Dibb (who also directed) presents a captivating story of a woman who would sacrifice everything for her family even giving up her one true love.

When Georgiana marries the Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes) she thinks her life will be perfect but it soon becomes clear to her that her husband only married her so that he could have an male heir and that he would rather take the maid-servants to his bed then his own wife. This leads to Georgiana’s increased involvement in politics and where she falls in love with a man from her past Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper). Through this illicit affair Georgiana will learn the true meaning of sacrifice as she must confront a man who has power to undo her entire life in a world where women are seen as nothing more then property and a means to continue the male lineage of an overbearing husband.

Although a beautifully filmed movie I found THE DUCHESS to be nothing more than a very good period film in which Knightley does a fantastic job (as she did in SENSE & SENSIBILITY and ATONEMENT). The rest of the cast is capable but it is Charlotte Rampling as Lady Spenser (Georgiana’s mother) that makes an impression as she delivers the quintessential Lady. I really wanted to love this film but neither Fiennes or Cooper make an impression on me so I couldn’t really relate to what all the fuss was about.
Nevertheless, THE DUCHESS is one of the better period films that I’m sure will do marvelous things for Knightley in the future.

"If It's Halloween, It Must Be - " SAW V: A Review

There are a lot of people out there whom after four SAW films would like to think that the series has run out of steam and that there just isn’t even anything else left to say with the series or characters, but in true SAW tradition you never know or can see the whole picture until the filmmakers of SAW want you to see it.

Avid fans of the series have come to expect a lot from the series in terms of complex and gruesome traps for the victims not to mention a morality tale that gets turned on its head in the closing moments of each film revealing details that you (the audience) never saw coming (pun intended). I for one enjoy the SAW films and await diligently each Halloween for the next installment of the series as these filmmakers are the only ones continuing to produce horror films for the Halloween haunting crowd (the other Oct. 2008 releases were THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY and SPLINTER with QUARANTINE an early release – slim pickings if you know what I mean). Instead, Halloween/Oct. has become the dumping grounds for bad comedies and even worse action films (i.e. MAX PAYNE).

As an avid fan of horror films and the SAW films in general I won’t discuss the details of the new film only that they are taking the franchise in a darker direction (as if it wasn’t dark enough already) and they are stepping up the police’s involvement with the story as (and I’m not giving anything away here) Det. Hoffman (who was revealed in the last film to be working with the Jigsaw killer) must tie up loose ends in order to cement the legacy of what Jigsaw, aka John Crammer, was trying to accomplish.

Although the new film is under a new director with David Hackl this new film maintains the same quality and style of the previous films and has a twist ending that still is hard to believe yet more satisfying then the one from the last film. It’s got to be extremely hard to continue producing these high quality horror films with such high standards year in and year out. The SAW films have become pop culture and have transcended it’s original meager roots to be an event not to be missed each Halloween season.
Although interest in the continuing saga seems to be waning (just look at the box office receipts between the second SAW and the forth SAW) there are still enough people interested enough to stick with it where ever it may go including me because what else do I have to look forward to – MOLLY HARTLEY 2?

CITY OF EMBER: A Film That Should Have Had the Lights Turned OFF On It

Fantasy films have been on the rise since the success of THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and studios have been buying up popular fantasy novels left and right so there is little wonder the Jeanne Duprau’s novel “The City of Ember” would be next up in line. What is surprising is the film adaptation of the novel CITY OF EMBER is such an uninspired, paint-by-numbers drab film with little heart and even less imagination. This is surprising considering that the screenplay is by Caroline Thompson, who helped bring to life EDWARD SCISORHANDS (1990), THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1991), THE SECRET GARDEN (1993), and THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993). Those films were fantastic fantasy films whereas this one is a muddled mess.

The film concerns the city of Ember, which was built underground 200 years prior in order to save humanity from the devastation from the world above. The original Builders of Ember set a timer on the city so that after 200 years the generations that knew nothing of the world above would have a blueprint on how to escape Ember when the time came, only the instructions which were passed down from mayor to mayor have been lost and the people of Ember know nothing of the world above.

Now the city of Ember is crumbling under old age and the fact that no one to fix anything that was built 200 years prior escapes them. As Ember falls apart under the threat of loosing the power that keeps the city’s light on draws near it is up to Doon and Lina (Harry Treadway and Saoirse Ronan, respectfully) to escape Ember using the instructions of the city’s original Builders in order to save the people they love.
At a production budget of approximately $38 million the film looks even cheaper then that with the bad CGI. The film has good production design as the city of Ember is crafted with great care and a distinctive look but besides the weak screenplay the great supporting cast is given little to nothing to do in the film, which includes Tim Robbins, Bill Murray, Toby Jones, and Martin Landau. The leads Treadway and Ronan actually do a good job in the mediocre film and will help younger audiences enjoy the film but this still won’t erase the fact that CITY OF EMBER just isn’t all that good of a film.

MAX PAYNE, A Forgetable Video Game Adaptation

Films based on video games are generally not very good and this is no exception with the new Mark Wahlberg film MAX PAYNE. The film is about a detective Max Payne (Wahlberg) who after witnessing his wife and child’s death buries himself in the cold case files where he becomes a pariah to all the other officers on the force. When the becomes dragged into the investigation of a death woman who stole his wallet he becomes entangled with gangsters and the existence of a drug that makes people invincible, while some suffer horrible delusions and visions of a world inhabited by demons.

If you think I’m giving something away by revealing any of this, trust me, the film is very transparent with its story and you’ll see everything coming long before they decide to reveal it. It’s sad that films based on video games have been so bad (i.e. DOOM, SUPER MARIO BROS., or STREETFIGHTER) through the years and even with a big name like Wahlberg attached this film couldn’t have been elevated other then mediocre film that it is. Also on hand is Beau Bridges, Chris O’Donnell, and Ludacris (who is the only one that you don’t laugh at during the entire film).

The action is fast & furious and the special visual effects are top notch (which are the only things saving this film from becoming complete trash). I do have to admit that the ending was very well done especially considering how much I hated the rest of the film and how long it took to a point in the film was wasn’t completely ludicrous (forgive the pun). As much hype as they gave to the film you’d think that something more interesting would have come out at the end but maybe we’ll just have to wait for the next video game adaptation.

QUARANTINE: One of the Scariest Films of the Year!

With only four major horror films being released this October (the others being SAW V, THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY, and SPLINTER), QUARANTINE, the America remake of the Spanish film REC, is one of the highlights of the Halloween season and one of the best remakes to come out in quite some time. Although the original REC has yet to be released here in the states (due to the fact that the studios don’t want people’s expectations of QUANTANTINE to be judged by the original film), QUARANTINE comes off as a suspenseful and altogether terrifying experience.

Angela Vidal and her cameraman Scott (Jennifer Carpenter and Steve Harris, respectfully) are doing an expose on firefighters particularly Jake and George (Jay Hernandez & Johnathon Schaech, respectfully), who reveal that most of the calls that they take are mostly as EMTs. As Jack and George reveal their seemingly uneventful lives on the job, a late night call comes in to the firehouse giving Angela and Scott the opportunity to catch the boys in action on the job. They soon arrive at an apartment complex in which several tenants have been hearing a woman screaming in her apartment. With the help of some police officers, Jack and George break in with Angela not far behind. When they try to help the screaming woman she attacks them injuring one of the cops. This attack leads to the revelation that something isn’t quite right and their fears are soon realized when they are unable to leave the building due to the fact that the police have the building quarantined off and they won’t tell the trapped inhabitants why.

One by one each of the inhabitants of the apartment complex become infected with what appears to be some sort of fast acting killer virus and emotions become even more escalated when they can’t leave and the building becomes infested with more of the infected. As time runs out and hope is no-existent, Angela and Scott must find a way to survive until help comes…if it ever does.

Like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, CLOVERFIELD, and DIARY OF THE DEAD, this film is told completely from the perspective of Scott’s camera, which at times is very impressive considering how much the camera is always on the move. These types of films have been on the rise as of late and don’t seem to be waning in the slightest. Written by John and Drew Dowdle (based on the REC screenplay by Jaume Balaguero, Luis Bardejo, and Paco Plaza) and directed by John Erick Dowdle QUARANTINE is one of the best remakes in quite some time and one of the best genre films of the year mainly because it never forgets to create suspense and terror while also telling a compelling story. With so many genre films seemly going for the shock-gore moment it’s great to see a film that actually is suspenseful and terrifying. Definitely, one not to be missed.

Graphic Novel Review: MARVEL ZOMBIES 2

I’m not one for reading anything that the comic book company Marvel has put out in almost a little over a decade but when I heard that writer Robert Kirkman had his hands in the original graphic novel I couldn’t help myself. This was the man who brought horror back to comics with his phenomenal ongoing series THE WALKING DEAD, so, if he was behind the series it couldn’t be all that bad. Point of fact is that the first MARVEL ZOMBIES series was an unquestionable success, so, who am I to be the one to say that there was no need for a second series.

MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 opens years after the first series ended in which all the superheroes of the Marvel universe became infected with a zombie plague turning them all into flesh eating zombies who practically devoured everything on Earth. After eating the Silver Surfer and Galactus, the surviving zombie-superheroes flee Earth in search of more food. In this new series the zombie-superheroes have eaten everything that they can and now set their sights on returning to Earth in order to find Reed Richards dimensional machine that will allow them passage to another world so that they can find a new world to feast upon.

When the zombie-superheroes return to Earth they have a surprise in store for them as an aged Black Panther and Forge had assembled the last of humanity in a settlement that they refuse to let go to the menace of the zombies. Things get even more complicated as a zombie-Wasp has taken up refuge with the survivors and has learned how to live in peace without letting the “hunger” of being a zombie get to her. Now it’s a fight for survival as humans battle zombies, zombies battle zombies, and everything is fair game.

Kirkman presents a compelling story where there are no easy answers or solutions to what lies next for humanity. This is a theme he’s put to great use in his THE WALKING DEAD series and works on a much bigger canvas then that series. Sean Phillips’ artwork compliments Kirkman’s story perfectly. The story is filled with great references from Marvel’s history and will be a favorite with comic book fans.

Like the first series this series steps far beyond anything that most readers of Marvel’s comics is accustomed to which makes the series that much better and now that the creators realize that they have a hit on their hands this series is left open for the impending third story in the series. I recommend this to both fans of Marvel comics and those readers who just want to read a very good story. I may not read anything else that Marvel puts out but I’ll continue to read this series as long as they continue putting them out.

Larry Fessenden's Exceptional THE LAST WINTER!

Writer/director Larry Fessenden surprised audiences with his two previous films HABIT (1997) and WENDIGO (2001), yet he has truly outdone himself with his recent film THE LAST WINTER, which like this year’s earlier film THE HAPPENING, was a cautionary tale about global warming and nature striking back against the inhumane ways in which humans have treated the Earth.

In this film the KIC Corporation is trying to build an ice route in the northern reaches of the world only the ice is not freezing hard enough due to impending climate changes or that is what environmentalist James Hoffman (James LeGros) believes. In returns Ed Pollack (Ron Perlman) whose job it is, is to get the ice route built at whatever the cost or it will be all the people’s jobs that work for the corporation. When the body of one of the members of the team in found out in the open coldness of death in the nude, Hoffman begins to believe that the environmental changes in the Earth have opened up a hole from which dangerous and possibly hallucinogenic dangers have made themselves known. When more of the team disappear in the same manner the team finds themselves isolated and trapped as the dangers escalate and Hoffman believes that something more supernatural may be a work.

Like WENDIGO, you’re never quite sure whether there really is a supernatural threat or that the characters have just simply gone insane due to the circumstances that have driven them into their situation. It’s masterfully suspenseful with an even more capable cast then he had in WENDIGO (which is no small feat considering how great that film turned out).
THE LAST WINTER is a much more subtle film then THE HAPPENING which is one of the beauties of the film. It’s a slow burning horror film as only a few directors are capable of. The film’s themes hit home more so then THE HAPPENING making it one of the truly interesting films to come along in quite some time.

Retrospect: Jacob's Ladder

I was 14 years old when I first saw the film JACOB’S LADDER on the weekend that it was released to the box office. I was a huge horror film fan even at that age and the trailers for the film made it appear like a film I definitely couldn’t miss. Well, at 14 years of age I had no clue of what the hell was going on in the film and walked out at the end completely enraged. I remember this well as this was the first time me and my family (I had parents that supported my love of horror films) ever walked out of a film wanting our money back. None of us knew just what we were watching and what a gem this film truly was.

As I grew older I actually learned what the Vietnam war was as well as how it affected our nation. I didn’t watch the film until years later after hearing great praise for the film and I wanted to know what the fuss was about considering it was a film up until then that I had thought was horrible.

Boy, I’m glad I changed my mind about this film as it has truly become one of my favorites over the years. Written by Bruce Joel Rubin JACOB’S LADDER is a drug infused trip down horror lane as Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a Vietnam vet suffering from visions of demons everywhere. It seems that the government were doing experiments during the war and the after effects are just now starting to kick into over drive which means bad things for Jacob and the remaining soldiers of his unit. The film is about Jacob’s inability to move on from both the events that were the war and from the death of his son and how the guilt can eat away at a person’s psyche.

The film has strong performances from Robbins as well and Elizabeth Pena (as his girlfriend) and Danny Aiello as his physical therapist and “angel” (who steels every scene he is in). Director Adrian Lyne crafted another great psychological drama like his other films NINE ½ WEEKS, FATAL ATTRACTION, and UNFAITHFUL.

Retrospect: MANIAC (1980)

Having missed director William Lustig’s now cult classic MANIAC upon its original release in 1980 it’s been one of a few oddities of cult horror cinema that I’ve actually avoided until now. Due to the video box cover art of the lower half of a man holding a knife in one hand and a woman’s scalp in the other I was always too afraid to rent this movie when I had no problem watching FRIDAY THE 13th or THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, among others.

For the longest time this film was just a blip on my radar until I became familiar with Lustig’s other films such as the MANIAC COP trilogy, RELENTLESS (1989), and UNCLE SAM (1997), which were all relentless horror films now cult classics in their own way. I return my attention now back to MANIAC, which I’ve finally been able to acquire courtesy of Blue Underground’s superb digital transfer.

The film is a relentless portrait of a serial killer Frank Zito (Joe Spinell) who kills innocent woman and collects their scalps in order to give his at home mannequins a bizarre sense of life. As his psyche crumbles and reality merges with fantasy Frank’s life spirals out of control and things get more complicated when he finds himself developing a relationship with his next potential victim, a photographer (played by Caroline Munro) that he becomes smitten with.

I must admit that I enjoyed the film more then I thought I would since much of what came out of the ‘80s was mindless slasher drival. This film is like an early version of HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986), in which both films focus on the serial killer rather than the victims creating a psychological profile unlike anything else. The shock value of the film is also present courtesy of special make up effects artist Tom Savini who outdoes himself whenever he gets the chance. His work still outshines many of his contemporaries.

Great praise goes to Spinell who not only stars in the film but also wrote the screenplay as well (this being his only one) and it shows that he has a great connection with the material. Being a gore-drenched ‘80s film, MANIAC is definitely not for everyone but it is one of the best the ‘80s had to offer and still holds up well today.

Film Review: FUR, AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANA ARBUS

I was not familiar with the name Diana Arbus before watching this film and I’m still not familiar with her being that the film FUR, AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANA ARBUS does little in the way of telling a complete story of the female photographer. Instead, the film tries to tell the story of the events that inspired Arbus to become the photographer she is known as.

This “imaginary portrait” tells the story of housewife Diana (Nicole Kidman) who suddenly becomes smitten with her new and mysterious neighbor Lionel Sweeney (Robert Downey, Jr.). Through this extraordinary affair Diana will learn the true meaning of passion and beauty, which has been missing from her life with her husband and children. What separates Diana from taking full advantage of her relationship with Lionel is the fact that Lionel suffers from a rare disease that causes his hair to grow all over his body at an alarming rate thus rendering him looking like a “dog-faced freak” which he used to do in the halcyon days of old. Now Lionel hides away from the world in masks only coming out when in the company of other people like himself who also possess questionable sexual desires.

Directed by Steven Shainberg (who directed the exceptional SECRETARY), FUR is an erotic film in desire in the most peculiar way (just like that of SECRETARY). The film works so well because of the chemistry between Kidman and Downey who ignite the screen and this coming from Downey who is in make up for almost the entire film. Their relationship is so strong that it overcomes the shortcomings of the script.

Although not a perfect film, FUR is a very revealing portrait of a society ruled by sexual taboos which makes for interesting viewing regardless of who stars in it.

Film Review: RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR

Brad and Lexi (Rory Cochrane and Mary McCormack, respectfully) are a happy couple who have just moved into their new home when a dirty bomb goes off in the middle of Los Angeles bringing with is a deadly air born toxin of unknown origin and magnitude. This is the premise behind the film RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR, which is a serious look at a real world possibility.

Due to the real world attacks on the World Trade Center and the events in its aftermath, RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR hits home like very few films do. Brad is stuck at home when he learns the news that his wife Lexi was in Los Angeles when the dirty bomb went off. When he tries to enter the city in search of her he is stopped by a military presence claiming that a lethal toxin was released when the bomb went off and that the best thing he could do was to go hold and secure himself in his house. Refusing to leave his wife out in the open he attempts to disobey the military orders but soon has second thoughts when he sees a survivor of the blast who was exposed to the toxins get gunned down in the streets.

Forced back home he attempts to blockade himself within his own home with the help of the neighborhood lawns keeper who is trapped as well unable to get back home to his own family. Once secure, Brad comes to the horrible realization that Lexi survived the initial blast in Los Angeles and made her way home. Unable to let her into the house in fear of exposing them to the deadly toxin, Brad’s commitment to his wife will be stressed to a breaking point as fear of death and contamination looms ever so closer.

The film is a tense and suspenseful film from start to finish as courtesy writer/director Chris Gorak. Both Cockrane and McCormack bring their characters to glorious life as a normal couple faced with an extraordinary situation especially when the terror or the military looms around every corner. The film is never predictable and continues to grab you from start to finish especially in the closing moments of the film when everything is turned on its head.

RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR is one of the best indie films to come along in a long time and it is definitely not one to be missed.

Indie Film with Kick - BAGHEAD (2008)

There are indie films and then there are “indie” films…and then there is BAGHEAD, the new indie film from writer/director partners Jay & Mark Duplass. This film tells the story of Matt, Chad, Michelle, and Catherine (Ross Partidge, Steve Zissis, Greta Gerwig, and Elise Muller, respectfully) who are all aspiring actors who just can’t seem to get a big break into the industry. While at the premiere of a local filmmaker’s “art film” the four are inspired into their own adventure.

When they learn that the director of the said “art film” had almost no budget and that he filmed his actors sometimes without them even knowing it, the four decide to finally take their own destinies into their hands and craft a screenplay in which they will all star. This is easier said then done as the four go out to Chad’s family cabin to be isolated in order to come up with a screenplay. Finding very little inspiration the four go to bed that first night with no ideas on what direction their story will take.

That night Michelle inadvertently thinks she sees someone in the woods wearing a bag over his head and thus the inspiration for their film is born. Matt has decided that their film will be a horror film about four people who are terrorized by a man with a paper bag of his head. As Matt’s inspiration gets the better of him emotions and the isolation in the middle of nowhere starts to get to everyone and several of them start to think that they really do see a man with a bag over his head in the woods. As there situation that’s an ever more serious turn the four must learn to work with one another in order to live through the night in order to escape the person after them.
If I reveal any more I will be giving away half the fun that is the movie. The film is a very clever twist on not only horror films but comedy as well since there is a lot of revealing comedy in the film. There are many twists and turns and the film cleverly goes from one genre to the next effortlessly. It is a true testament to the “indie” spirit from which it is trying to evoke. The Duplass brothers have banded together a great cast that work well together and deliver a great film in the tradition of low budget indie filmmaking.

Retrospect: The Dead Pit (1989)

Having not seen this film since it was first released in 1989 I had forgotten a lot of what director Brett Leonard’s first film THE DEAD PIT was really about. Having really enjoyed Leonard’s most prestigious films THE LAWNMOWER MAN (1992) and VIRTUOSITY (1995), I decided to take a look back at memory lane at this first film of his. I probably was better off forgetting about it.

THE DEAD PIT is a straight to video horror film about a woman who has lost her memory and is sent to an insane asylum. There, she unwillingly unleashes a dead doctor from hell (his death and cover up explained in a brief prologue) who wants nothing more to kill more of his patients and unleash hell upon the earth by resurrecting all the patients he had killed when he was alive. There are subplots about how this woman, referred in the film as Jane Doe (Cheryl Lawson), lost her memory as well as other aspects of why the insane doctor was killed in the first place. All this makes for a heavily dated late ‘80s horror escapade that’s better left forgotten. There are few imaginative deaths (even for ‘80s standards) and the cinematography leaves a lot to be desired. This does look like a film from a first time filmmaker.

There is little recognition of Leonard’s talents in this film that show themselves in his subsequent films as his wrote & directed THE LAWNMOWER MAN just three years later followed by HIDEAWAY (1995), VIRTUOSITY, and the IMAX film T-REX: BACK TO THE CRETACEOUS (1998). For several years he disappeared before returning in 2005 with both the Marvel Comics adaptation of MAN-THING and the under-rated indie film FEED. Most recently he had released the latest in the ever expanding Highlander franchise – HIGHLANDER: THE SOURCE (2007).

THE DEAD PIT may have been an “indie” production but it lead to bigger productions and remains a favorite to many horror film fans. I’m just not one of them.

Anticipating SAW V

Being one of the most successful horror film franchises the SAW franchise has defined the way mainstream audiences view horror films. They are smart, entertaining, and relentlessly violent, a far cry from the days of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, FRIDAY THE 13th, and CHILD’S PLAY (which all became caricatures of themselves relying more on humor then anything else).

When SAW (2004) was first unleashed upon audiences it was a smart and intelligent thriller with suspenseful moments of horror that changed audiences expectations before the last frame of film had been unveiled. It had an ending no one was expecting and generated a buzz of worthy approval that drew out audiences of all different age groups and genders and races. It was a box office hit. The film grossed $103 million world wide on a $1.2 million budget. A sequel was guaranteed. The only problem was that the film was a pretty self-contained horror film with a serial killer-boogie man that just couldn’t be stopped. The only solution was to create a bigger film on a larger canvas from which to allow the exploits of the Jigsaw killer (played immortally by Tobin Bell) to continue while still trying to stay true to what the first film had achieved. Thus was born SAW II (2005).

In SAW II the filmmakers decided to do what no other horror franchise had done before which is start the film off with the capture of the Jigsaw Killer. This was the spark of genius that audiences were looking for. The new film brought in more people in which to layer more elaborate traps and deaths. Although suspenseful, the gore content was stressed in the new film as well as the “ticking clock” aspect of the story, which made everything the characters did in the film more immediate. Audiences were also exposed to more details about the Jigsaw killer that were largely left unclear and unanswered from the previous film. Although flawed at times, SAW II is a rollercoaster ride worth taking and was just a sign of things to come in SAW III (2006). SAW II grossed $147 million worldwide.

The makers of SAW III had a lot going for them as they knew that there would be a SAW IV and possible V coming soon after so they layered a lot of story elements within the mythology of the series for future films. This was a great device in that the franchise not only spent a portion of time on defining the lead character of Jigsaw (aka John Crammer) but also of the main individual that the story is following as s/he is forced to go through Jigsaw’s ordeal. With SAW III there were no more then four separate storylines being interwoven in the complex suspense horror film making for one of the best entries in the series. Grossing over $164 million worldwide this became the most popular entry in the franchise. This film would only open up more doors for SAW IV (2007), which were left just slightly ajar in the previous film.

SAW IV was a departure for the franchise as the main villain Jigsaw had been killed in the previous film and the filmmakers needed a way to bring back the notorious killer. Thus the franchise began to rely more on flashbacks then they ever had before to tell the story of how and why John Crammer became the Jigsaw killer. Although very revealing and interesting this would bring the film’s overall appeal down a notch from the success of the previous film. Although flawed, SAW IV still delivers the goods that all SAW fans had become accustomed but due to the fact that the distribution company Lions Gate has decided to release a SAW film every Halloween the series is beginning to drag. This film grossed $139 million worldwide (with only $63 million being domestic, just $10 million more then the first film), most of it in the International markets.

Being the least well received of the four films, SAW IV is not a terrible film. In fact, it’s one of the better horror films of 2007 which was plagued with THE REAPING, HOSTEL PART 2, THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2, and a plethora of low performing films (such as GRINDHOUSE, THE MIST, ZODIAC, and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT).

When speaking about the upcoming SAW V we must first take into consideration upon whether or not audiences even want another film and whether or not the franchise still has any life left in it. Rumored to be the final film in the series, the new SAW film has a lot to answer given how the previous film ended and just what direction the new film will take. John Crammer’s former wife Jill Tuck (Betsy Russell) will play an even more extensive part in the world of Jigsaw. Also returning is Costas Mandylor as Hoffman, the police office-turned-Jigsaw’s Protégé and newcomer to the franchise Julie Benz (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel as well as the new Sylvester Stallone film RAMBO) will be the lead female character. And you can’t have a SAW film without Tobin Bell and I’m sure the filmmakers have found another clever way to bring back the dead serial killer. There is great anticipation for the new film as it define how the entire franchise will be perceived for years to come.

All box office figures were provided by Box Office Mojo (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/).

Graphic Novel Review: SPIKE: SHADOW PUPPETS

Everyone’s favorite villains from Season Five of Joss Whedon’s ANGEL are back and better then ever! I’m talking about the vampire-with-a-soul Spike who crossed over from the television show BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER to it’s spin-off ANGEL and who has now gone solo in several IDW series in particular this one SPIKE: SHADOW PUPPETS which pits Spike against the puppet demons of the kids television show Smile Time (also villains from the fifth season of ANGEL).

If you remember from that episode of ANGEL (self titled “Smile Time”) Angel went up against the soul stealing demon puppets and was himself turned into a puppet by a giant egg-like, soul-stealing thing. After being destroyed by Team-Angel in that episode the demons of Smile Time return to menace the children of Japan. Lorne has enlisted the aid of Spike to help him bring down Smile Time once and for all before the demons are able to send all the children of the world into mindless and comatose children.

Spike and Lorne get into more trouble then they bargain for when the demons of Smile Time release a horde of evil mini-Ninja puppets with only one desire, which is to kill Spike at all costs. If you’ve been following the Spike series then you’ll recognize many of the supporting characters that come to Spike and Lorne’s aid but not in time to prevent them from being turned into puppets themselves. Great fun and hilarity is had at the expense of seeing Spike & Lorne turned into puppets. More fun is had when, in order to defeat puppet-Spike, the demons of Smile Time create puppet versions of all Team-Angel including the infamous Angelus (one of the greatest moments in any of Spike’s solo series).

Writer Brian Lynch has the Spike & Lorne characters down flawlessly and even if it’s hard to believe at first that Spike & Lorne would go off on their own adventure, you just end up going with the flow as this is one of the best adventures Spike has hard out on his own. Artist Franco Urru is the perfect artist to bring the world of Joss Whedon to life and translates the world of Smile Time to the comic book medium effortlessly. This is by far one of the best graphic novels for both fans of the Whedon universe and fans of the comic book medium in general.

As an added bonus you also get a “Writer’s Commentary” at the end of the book detailing the inside jokes and references (if you failed to pick up on them the first time around). Also, many of the original covers are presented here for those (like me) who only buy the books in graphic novel form rather than as single issues.

Graphic Novel Review: ANGEL: OLD FRIENDS

Before IDW publishing tackled the “After the Fall” ANGEL comic book series currently running which asks the question of “What happened after Season Five Ended?” of the series they tackled this story “ANGEL: OLD FRIENDS” which reunited Angel with all the characters of the hit television series for the first time in comics. Being a spin-off of the hugely popular BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (both television show and comic) IDW’s Angel put Angel mostly on adventures by himself never explaining what happened after Season Five of the show ended (presumably because creator Joss Whedon had plans to produced television movies of some of the characters).

After some time had passed and it didn’t seem like the television movies were going to come to fruition IDW got the go ahead to use all the characters of the Angel-verse and thus “Old Friends” was born with writer Jeff Mariotte and artist David Messina at the helm. “Old Friends” finds a one-eyed Gunn seeking out the help of loner Angel when he believes that Spike may be responsible for several murders in the city. Believing that Spike may have gone evil Angel and Gunn team-up to bring the rogue vampire-with-a-soul down. When they finally encounter Spike he is more powerful then before and almost bests both Angel and Gunn until “the real” Spike shows up to dust the doppelganger-Spike.

After this encounter Spike joins Angel and Gunn as they soon realize that someone is using doppelgangers of them to try and kill them, which leads them to a chance encounter with Illyria (in which they all battle doppelganger-Wesley and doppelganger- Fred) and with Lorne (who has his own doppelganger that they have to deal with). Before the culprit it unveiled everyone in Team-Angel will be re-united and need to overcome their personal demons before an old enemy from their pasts reveals himself.

Although not a great story, “Old Friends” is not without it’s moments. It’s great to see all the gang back together again however brief (Illyria’s appearance being nothing more really then a cameo) and everyone gets a fair share at causing damage especially Gunn (who was unceremoniously left to the sidelines many times in the television series). It’s also nice to see that as the characters battle a villain from their past they finally come together…again, as a team. This is a good warm up for the real story going on in the current ongoing IDW series ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL.

Graphic Novel Review: 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: BEYOND BARROW

It has been several years since Barrow, Alaska was plagued by vampires into the original graphic novel 30 DAYS OF NIGHT by Steve Niles & Ben Templesmith. Now Niles returns to Barrow, almost, in the new graphic novel 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: BEYOND BARROW (the ninth graphic novel in the ongoing series). Although Templesmith is missing in action on this adventure celebrated artist Bill Sienkiewicz is on duty to bring new life to the vampire menace.

Niles and company have decided to take the mythology of the series into a whole new arena by presenting a menace that is even more deadly then the original vampires of the first series. In this new story a group of tourists manage to barter their way just outside Barrow during the infamous 30 days of night on the hunt to capture a picture and evidence of the existence of vampires that they have heard about from the newspapers and books. To bad for them that a gang of vampires seeking to stop over in Barrow for a quick snack are themselves killed off by something that seems to hide in the snow and strike out when least expected.

Survivor John Ikos, from the very first attack on Barrow, soon finds his hands full facing a new menace that’s older and more dangerous then anything ever encountered before and he will have to travel outside the safety of Barrow’s secure gates in order to save the tourists and hopefully survive one more time.

Much like the very first 30 DAYS OF NIGHT series, BEYOND BARROW was originally a three-issue limited series that was fast and furious with more mood and horror then character and story and the just like that series it works well again here. I’ve only read a handful of Niles’ best known stories (as he writes more then just about any other comic book writer working today), so, I’m not totally numb on his storytelling style yet. My only problem with this story is that I actually didn’t care whether any of the tourists lived or died and had more fun seeing Sienkiewicz kill them off in great artistic ways. This is definitely a “colder” experience (if it can get any colder) and not as dynamic as some of the previous stories in the series.

Regardless, Niles thinks there is more life in this series and as long as people keep reading, there will be more stories to tell.

Graphic Novel Review: HEROES Volume 1

This first volume of the Wildstorm/DC/NBC produced graphic novel based off the hit television series collects the first 34 “issues” of the on-line comic book in one gorgeous looking book. Whether purchasing the hardcover or paperback edition no true fan of the hit NBC television show should go without this collection of stories that help not only flesh out the main characters of the show but also many of the secondary characters as well.

Originally designed to co-inside with the weekly broadcast of episodes many of the stories contained within mirror many of the episodes in the show. Some of them work well such as issue #2, which focuses of Hiro, and issue #4, which focuses of Claire. Others don’t work quite as well, such as issue #7 (with Officer Parkman – the only issue that focuses on him) or issue #12 (with Peter Petrelli). Where the book really works is the multi-part stories spread throughout the book, the best being the ones featuring Hana Gitelman, who in the series played a small role but here in the comic book medium takes center stage. In the television series her character and back story is left mostly unexplored but in this first volume of the graphic novel series you get a huge look into how she became the woman that she is and what drives her to do the things that she does that leads to the last third of the events depicted in the actual television show itself. The book is worth getting on that note alone.

All the characters of the series both major and minor get at least one issue dedicated to them and with a plethora of writing and artistic talent on staff the book never gets boring or repetitive making for one very fast read. One of the highlights are the mock-covers of each issue which adds to the enjoyment and the presentation of the graphic novel.

This graphic novel is a hit and I hope they put as much care into volume two as they did into this one.

Film Review: Creepshow 3

This is the sequel that no one wanted yet here we are discussing the in-name-only sequel to the George A. Romero and Stephen King anthology series. Originally inspired by EC Comics, CREEPSHOW was a landmark in horror film cinema blending both dark comedy and gut wrenching gore into one cohesive whole; CREEPSHOW 2 managed to capture the feeling of the original film but lacked the great storytelling of the first film. In this new film CREEPSHOW 3 everything that made the series what it is, is thrown out the window for this indie produced film.

The vignettes in CREEPSHOW 3, unlike in the previous two films, are loosely linked together by characters and situations. In one of the stories you have a disenfranchised teen who finds herself being thrust between dimensions by a remote control developed by the neighborhood inventor. There is also a story about serial killing stripper who discovers something more dangerous then her just down the street, and there is even a story with the inventor and his new fiancée whose students believe that she is a synthetic robot who will stop at nothing to prove it. This is just a sampling of the stories contained within this film as the filmmakers (directors Ana Clavell and James Glenn Dudelson, who both also contributed to the screenplay) clearly wanted to take the series into a new director by linking all the stories. This is actually the only good idea the filmmakers had with this film as the rest is a complete mess.

The film is neither funny nor scary but just hovers on being just gore-filled enough to keep the casual viewer from falling asleep during the films all to predictable stories and unoriginality. None of the comedy comes off as being funny or disturbing (as is befitting of most great dark comedies) and there is no suspense in the film whatsoever. The lack of suspense in the film goes to the fact that most of the film happens during the daytime in what appears to be an uninspired cinematographer in which all the images are washed out with no flare to interesting camera positions or movement. This horror film just comes off as being dull.

Another bad idea on the part of the filmmakers is the horrible animation used to show the “comic book” aspect of the film. Using computer CGI was a huge mistake as it looks like something a high school student put together on their fifteen-year old computer. Now I hate to come down on a film as much as I have on this one (although this is not the worst film I’ve ever seen) but the truth is that if you are a filmmaker extending upon an already successful franchise, there are some things that must be in the film in order to appease the fans (the people who end up buying or renting such films as CHILDREN OF THE CORN 7 or HELLRAISER 8) and if you don’t meet the fans’ expectation then don’t be disappointed with the bad reviews. It’s your own fault.

No fan of the first two films will enjoy this film and only the casual horror fan will even take notice. It’s an experience worth forgetting ever had.

Film Review: Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis

There were so many directions that the RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD franchise could have gone after PART 2 (which threw away much of the mythology established in the first film) and PART III (which was a mixture of Romeo & Juliet and an Italian gore-fest) but instead with RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD: NECROPOLIS we are subjected to inane teenagers in one of the most under-developed messes in recent memory.

NECROPOLIS follows a group of teens who break into a research facility to save a friend of theirs who has been secretly kidnapped in order to do research on him. Peter Coyote plays a research scientist who has uncovered the last remaining barrels of Trioxin gas, which brought the dead back to life in the previous films. He’s using it to experiment on both the dead and the living in order to create bio-weapons, among other things. When one of the teenagers become part of the experiences his friends band together to break him out but instead unleash all the living dead held in the facility.

The biggest problem with the movie is the screenplay by William Butler and Aaron Strongoni which has every science gone mad film of the ‘50s through the ‘60s with no originality in sight nor any logic to why characters and situations are so inadequately done. In a research facility that does so much illegal activities why is there no decent security? Why are the living dead even being kept considering that they aren’t even of use to the facility? Why hasn’t anyone, before now, wizened up all the people disappearing without any bodies to be buried? Why would a research facility hire a high school student for security? This just scratches the surface on what dumb things shouldn’t be in a modern day horror film. They could’ve gotten away with it twenty years ago when no one knew any better but any savvy audiences today could see through this film.

There are a handful of gore sequences but they all come off as PG since these zombies just take a nibble out of a person’s brain rather then go for the jugular. I guess this they did this to save on the effects budget. They could have just saved everyone the wasted time and money by not producing this film in the first place.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS - An Animated Epic Adventure!

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS is a great reminder that the Star Wars universe is not dead after the abysmal last three prequel films. Seen more as an extended pilot to the television series this feature length animated adventure feels like not only a great bridge between the films but a great first “episode” to another adventure. Even though George Lucas is credited with the story, the screenplay is written by Henry Gilroy, Scott Murphy, and Steven Melching and it comes off as a grand adventure as the original Episode 4 “A New Hope” or Episode 6 “Return of the Jedi.”

This film concerns Anakin Skywalker who is given an apprentice of his own Ahsoka Tano to train in the ways of the force as the universe is on the verge of war. Unbeknownst to them an evil scheme is being hatched by Count Dooku and Darth Sidious in which they plan to kidnap Jaba the Hutt’s son in order to lay blame on the Jedi and force a war between The Hutts and the Jedi. It is Anakin and Ahsoka’s mission to rescue Jaba’s son and return him safely to his family before all is lost.

This new film is meant to be the maturing film of Anakin that Episode 2 “Attack of the Clones” should have been but wasn’t. By giving Anakin an apprentice we are able to see Anakin’s faults and how he overcomes them since Ahsoka is very much like how he used to be.
Although there are a few too many “cute” spots in the film with the Baby Hutt, the action is non-stop and the animation is on top form. The highly stylized look of the film is unlike anything currently being done today. There is little to wonder why Lucas decided to premiere the new series as a theatrical film rather then on the small screen; as usual he has broke new grounds in animation and CGI and it shows. There is little to gripe about the film other then I wish this had been the way the prequels should have been.

TROPIC THUNDER - Funniest Film of the Year!

The “have funny laugh-a-thon” film of the summer has to be Ben Stiller’s TROPIC THUNDER. This mile-a-minute comedy-a-thon is some of the actor/writer/director’s best work (which is a lot coming from me since I generally dislike many of his films). There is no denying that Stiller hit upon a great comedy troop of actors when he joined forces with Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black for this movie-imitates-life-imitates –movie movie.

TROPIC THUNDER is the story of a director (played by Steve Coogen) whose career and film is falling apart because of the three big Hollywood actor-Divas he’s forced to work with. With a film rumored to be in trouble and never get finished the director decides to do something drastic which is put his actors out into the real jungle and shoot the film gorilla style. Everything goes as planned until the three actors Kirk Lazarus (Downey JR.), the Oscar winner who becomes “black” to get deeper into his role, Jeff Portnoy (Black), the comedienne who has a drug problem, and Tugg Speedman (Stiller), the former action hero whose career is fast becoming a thing of the past, all get stranded in the middle of the jungle after their director is killed. Now they must fend for themselves as a group of ruthless drug dealers will stop at nothing to stop them from accomplishing their mission to finish the film.

The great thing about this film is that not once did I ever feel like all the great jokes were given away in the previews for the film; in fact, the previews never came close to showing all the great moments in the film. I’m not a Stiller fan but this film felt fresh and new and kept the momentum from beginning to end. In addition to Coogan’s small role the film also boasts a list of great actors from Nick Nolte, Matthew McConaughey, and a stand-out performance from Tom Cruise, to name a few. If anyone steals this film it would be Cruise with his from left field performance as the Executive Producer of the film being made.

TROPIC THUNDER is just one great film from beginning to end that should not be missed.

Book Review: "How To Survive A Horror Movie" By Seth Grahame-Smith

Horror films, no matter how inane, have always been able to find an audience unlike any other genre known. Many of the most obscure films have a deep cult following that surpasses belief and defies expectations. Most fans of the genre relish in the clichés and the stupidity of the genre while also clamoring for more sophisticated fair. In Seth Grahame-Smith’s “pocket-sized” book “How To Survive A Horror Movie” he delves into the dos and don’t of horror film fandom in case you find yourself trapped inside one.

The book is a cleaver and funny look at all the clichés of the horror genre and all its sub-genres and how to survive any situation that you might somehow find yourself in. Grahame-Smith calls this place the “Terrorverse” and anything can and does happen when you find yourself visiting there. Everything from how to survive encounters with zombies to vampires to demons to slashers and even the chance encounter with Satan is touched upon in the book making for some very funny anecdotes. He even provides examples and much of what he explains both from famous films and just in general in a “real life” situation (these make for some of the best read). Although the book has no photographs from any films the artwork is dead on perfect for the book illustrating some of the threats one might encounter in a horror film.

The book touches upon a little of everything leaving nothing to chance although in hindsight (and for a possible sequel or “remake” of the book they should put in interviews with some survivors of horror films to add to the insanity of it all). As Grahame-Smith explains it, the Terrorverse is filled with all kinds of supernatural as well as natural monstrosities and you shouldn’t go anywhere without first consulting this book because even if you’re stuck with snakes on a plane, this book will help you get through and survive.

I recommend this book to all those horror fans whose lives are just a little too exciting.

Graphic Novel Review: "Bram Stoker's Dracula"...Again...

Now we’ve all read Bram Stoker’s DRACULA or at least know the story really well. Vampire buys a home in London. Vampire terrorizes a bunch of people in London. Vampire hunter from out of London comes to kill vampire and make London safe again. Nothing new here but the story has transcended time from generation to generation captivating readers (and even film viewers) time and time again no matter how old the story is and like the vampire Dracula himself his story is as immortal as time. Is it little wonder that Fernando Fernandez’ adaptation of the classic novel doesn’t really offer anything new yet is still as captivating as the immortal Dracula himself regardless of the current time.

Although the story offers nothing new it is Fernandez’ lush visuals and colors and make his adaptation stand out amongst all the others. Originally published in 1984 but brought back to life in 2005 by Del Rey Books Fernandez’ DRACULA has such striking visuals due to the realistic painterly style that you can’t help but to stop and take notice. This is one of the reasons why I picked up the book in the first place. Having already read the novel and other adaptations several times before I really wasn’t interested in another version until I opened the book and was awestruck by the artwork inside. I’ve never read anything else Fernandez has done but I will definitely be on the look out for more.

This over-sized graphic novel is short but the story is lush and Fernandez crams a lot of info in the text in case he happens upon the odd person who has not read or know the story. Fernandez did pick one of the better stories to adapt enabling him to reach a far wider audience then something more original (this graphic novel caught my eye). Although I’m not a big fan of the vampire genre those that are will enjoy this book and even the casual gothic horror lover will love this book and should add it to their collection.