Writer's First

Film Review: LA HORDE

2011-02-09T15:47:00.001-08:00

After “High Tension,” “Martyrs,” and “Frontier(s)” you’d think that French cinema had cornered the market on controversial and realistic violent cinema in the past few years but directors Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher have taken the zombie genre and turned it on head in the film “La Horde.”

When one of their own is killed four corrupt cops break into an abandoned tenement building searching for the gangsters responsible. Nothing goes as planned as the cops find themselves ambushed by the gangsters and just when they think they are about to lose their lives the world is thrust into chaos by a zombie outbreak which traps them in the building. Now forced into an uncomfortable partnership the cops and gangsters must learn to trust each other in order to get out of the zombie infested building alive.

This would sound like standard zombie film fodder but the screenplay is smarter than it appears as people on both sides have ulterior motives and allegiances change as their situation grows more chaotic by the minute. Also, the dead are hording the bodies of the fallen and have their own agenda.

It is not fair to simply look at this film as a simple zombie film when there is so much more going on. It’s about family and trust and being able to trust your enemies when a greater threat arises. It’s also about violence, action, and carnage as there is a lot of that in this film as well. This is a hardcore zombie film from the “28 Days Later” and “Dawn of the Dead” remake mold. Zombies run fast. Kill lots. Spread blood everywhere and caught in between are corrupt cops and gangsters who seem to have an endless supply of bullets. The only deterrent of the film is the fact that both the cops and gangsters can’t seem to get it through their thick skills that the only way to kill the zombies is through a gunshot to the head despite the fact that the very first zombie they encounter they kill by blowing off his head. There are numerous scenes in which the characters unload hundreds of bullets on a single zombie just for the sake of doing so. These scenes get old really fast. This is a small problem with the film as it makes up for it in the last thirty minutes of the film where there are more surprises than a zombie film should have. Dahan and Rocher create some truly horrifying imagery that will go down in zombie history as some of the best scenes around and the closing moments of the film are not what you are expecting (as befitting a French horror film). This is not one to be missed.

Film Review: TETSUO: THE BULLET MAN

2011-02-09T15:46:00.001-08:00

It’ s been 17 years since director Shinya Tsukamoto delved into the world of “Tetsuo” and he opens up a whole new world in the latest chapter in the series “Tetsuo: The Bullet Man.” This entry strives to be a little more mainstream by having the main character Anthony (Eric Bossick), the son of an American father and Japanese mother, live with his Japanese wife Yuriko (Akiko Mono) and son Tom in Japan. He’s your typical businessman who likes to walk his son to school every day but on one day while he is on the phone with Yuriko his son is run down through hit and run by a Guy (Shinya Tsukamoto). Having heard the whole incident over the phone Yuriko starts to spiral into madness seeking only revenge for the death of her son. This causes Anthony to release a lot of violent and hidden emotions that manifests themselves eternally through the gradual transformation of his body into iron. When the Guy that killed his son reappears, Anthony mutates into a human weapon fueled by his need for revenge.

Tsukamoto’s techno-body-horror remains intact in this film from the previous two films but with a bigger budget he’s able to expand on the cinematography, makeup, visual effects, and story like never before. Whereas with the original “Tetsuo,” which used a lot of close-ups and fast cuts to give the film a very cramped and claustrophobic feel this film has a lot more wide angles (and not so many scenes appear chaotic and frenetic). This new film feels very controlled and precise and shows off Tsukamoto’s technical skills learned in the 17 years in between films.

Fans of the original will not be disappointed. Even though this is a remake/re-imagination of the original film (ala “The Evil Dead 2”) Tsukamoto uses his signature style of the original film and transplants it to this film so even though this film has a larger budget and a broader audience appeal than the previous films it may still turn off those who only know him from his work in “Vital” and the “Nightmare Detective” films (which are more mainstream).

Graphic Novel Review: USAGI YOJIMBO BOOK 1: THE RONIN by Stan Sakai

2011-02-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

Stan Sakai’s creation Usagi Yojimbo has always been a favorite but I’ve never been able to read the story from the very beginning and Book 1: The Ronin gives readers a chance to see where it all began by reprinting some of the character’s earliest appearances before he got his own long running series. At over 140 pages Sakai puts together a very good collection for new and old readers to enjoy.

Usagi is a ronin, or wandering samurai without a master, who travels the country side town to town helping out wherever he can for whatever little money he can make. The thing about the world of Sakai and Usagi, in particular, is that Usagi is a rabbit and the world that he inhabits is filled with all manner of animals and creatures right out of a Walt Disney film (just with more violence). Don’t let the “cute” animals fool you. These characters are as ruthless and cunning as in any other adult comic book but because of the world in which they inhabit Sakai doesn’t skimp on the humor either (in fact, the humor is at times more effective than the violence).

Usagi encounters goblins, helps a prince ascend to the throne before getting killed, becomes a bounty hunter, and is accused of being a horse thief, to name a few. There is no trouble too big for him to wander into. The most enduring quality about Sakai’s character is that he gives up many qualities of a normal life in order to maintain honor and a since of morality that slowly disappears from his world. He is of a dying breed (made even more apparent in the superior stories “Lone Rabbit & Child” and its sequel “The Confession” and the more personal “Homecoming” and “Village of Fear”). Some of Usagi’s funniest stories are his misadventures with the bounty hunter Gennosuke (in “Bounty Hunter” & “Bounty Hunter II”) and when he is accused of a horse thief in “Horse Thief.”

Readers will enjoy going on the long adventure with Usagi especially if they are fans of the Japanese manga and film series Lone Wolf & Cub or Zatoichi (which are both heavy influences on this character).

Novel Review: EATEN ALIVE! ITALIAN CANNIBAL AND ZOMBIE MOVIES by Jay Slater

2011-02-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

I love zombie films and it seems so does Jay Slater whose book Eaten Alive! Italian Cannibal and Zombie Movies is for lovers of Italian cannibal and zombie films. Slater has put together one of the most comprehensive collection of articles on cannibal & zombie films that I’ve ever seen. Good, bad, horrible – it doesn’t matter Slater covers them all. The Italian film industry is a mixed bag because the industry always seemed to just latch on to whatever genre or fad was popular at any given time which is why the Italian cannibal and zombie genres came and went so fast.

Slater’s book touches on all the watermark films such as the Lucio Fulci zombie trilogy and “Cannibal Holocaust” and includes many co-productions such as George A. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” up to “Flesh for Frankenstein.” Slater organizes the book by year starting off with “War of the Zombies” (1964) and concluding with Michele Soavi’s “Dellamorte Dellamore” (1994). Although all the required viewing films are on hand it are the lesser known films that are truly worth taking a look at. Although I am very familiar with Italian zombie films many of the Italian cannibal films I’ve never seen (and thankfully for Slater’s review I won’t have to). Slater is very well versed in the genre giving each and every film not only a brief overview but adequate outlook on how they fit into the history of the genre. The Italian cannibal film was big during the ‘70s and ‘80s (which is apparent by all the entries in the genre) while their zombie films have time and time again popped up very varying degrees of popularity.

Also of interest to readers will be the interviews that Slater puts into the book of not only actors but crew members as well who recount both in loving detail (and sometimes disgust) at the filming of some of these films. Slater also brings in several guest writers to give their outlook on particular films such as Beatrice Ring, Donato Totaro, Benjamin Halligan, Kim Newman, Ramsey Campbell, to name a few. Slater has put together a very talented team that craft an otherwise unmatchable tome on the Italian film industry, at least in regards to cannibal and zombie films.

Be forewarned that this book is for die-hard fans of the genre (even though the occasional and curious fan are also welcomed) since it plays up to some of the genre’s most celebrated titles such as “The Beyond,” “Demons,” The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue,” “Dawn of the Dead,” “Zombie,” “City of the Living Dead,” Eaten Alive!” and “Voices from Beyond,” to name a few.

Graphic Novel Review: 28 DAYS LATER: VOL. 2 – “BEND IN THE ROAD”

2011-02-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

BOOM! Studios continues its successful run of the 28 Days Later comic book series with this latest graphic novel 28 Days Later: Vol. 2 “Bend in the Road’ which collects the issues 5-8 of the continuing misadventures of Selena, from the original film, and her new companions as they re-enter the quarantined London after the Rage Virus has turned most of the populace into blood thirsty killers.

The last volume ended with Selena and her companion’s boat being blown up by government officials when they got too close to making land. This volume actually begins with a flashback issue that explains how Selena met up with her main companions (at least the ones that don’t die in the explosion) Jimmy and Derrick (who was blinded due to the explosion), two news men with an eye on breaking one of the most controversial stories going down. They’ve gone into some of the most treacherous territories all over the world and think that there is nothing new with what is going on in London, too bad for them.

By the time we catch back up with the present Selena, Jimmy, and Derrick have fallen on desperate times as Derrick needs medicine and Jimmy is willing to do anything to save him. Despite Selena’s better judgment they continue on their journey but soon encounter survivors who have been hiding out. In order to get the medical supplies they need Selena and Jimmy leave Derrick with these survivors in order to venture into the populated and infested city. The city is not what they expected especially when they were told by the government that the infestation has been “taken care of.” They encounter a city overrun with the infected. They have to hide from the infected, get the medical supplies they need, and hope they can make it back to save Derrick, but there is more than just these minor things they have to worry about as the survivors have plans for Selena and Jimmy that may spell the end for Derrick.

Michael Alan Nelson out does himself on these issues as he writes a suspense filled story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and not knowing what will happen to our characters next. The first volume had a larger amount of characters to contend with but with only three main characters (now left alive) Nelson spends more time getting into their heads and allowing readers to get a better idea of who the characters are. Artwork is provided by Marek Oleksicki (for issue #5) and Declan Shalvey (issues #6-8) who contribute greatly to the atmosphere of the story and homage to the original film. Fans of the film will greatly appreciate the lengths by which BOOM! Studios and their people have gone to craft a worthy successor to the popular film franchise.

Film Review: CARNY (2009)

2010-09-08T14:38:00.000-07:00

Some SyFy channel movies are worth seeing while others are like this film Carny (2009), which is nothing but the same-old-same-old. When a side show carnival shows up in the outskirts of a small town, their prized new freak is that of a winged devil-creature that was acquired through nefarious ways. When the devil-creature gets lose it is up to the town sheriff Atlas (Lou Diamond Phillips) to rid them of the creature at any costs.

Now this film has the distinction of being just like any other SyFy film with the small town sheriff out to protect his town from the evil monster. The problem with this film lies in the bland characters and mediocre monster, which is made even more inane by the subpar CGI effects. It also hurts the film that there are no other “freaks” that are even remotely interesting. It’s a side show carnival that lacks any real “carnies” which makes the scenes when the monster isn’t on screen very mundane.

I enjoy Phillips in low budget films (i.e. Bats, Route 666, Red Water) but this film even he can’t save. This film lacks anything more than just the superficial horror genre trappings which is fine if it has an interesting monster or great actors (the hallmark of any good SyFy movie) but this films lacks both. Phillips is but one man in a film that should be filled with freaks. At least they would have made the film more interesting.

Film Review: CRITTERS 3

2010-09-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

By the time Critters 3 (1991) is released all the steam is out of the franchise but production company New Line Cinema decides to film 2 sequels at once (as parts 3 & 4 are released just a year apart). It is not explained how there can possibly be any more critters left after the last film only that Earth bound bounty hunter Charlie (Don Opper) is still at work making the world safe from the creatures the best way that he can.

This time a critters catches a ride with a impoverished family who have stopped over near Grover’s Bend. A father and his two children come into contact with a run-down Charlie who looks more like a homeless man than a bounty hunter. When the family returns home to their apartment complex they are unaware of their hitchhiker and soon the complex is overrun with critters.

If you thought the original film was light on violence then you haven’t seen anything as this film is far too kid-friendly for its own good. Even though the main characters are still kids this film makes you think as though the film makers were trying to make a film for the PG crowd and the overall films suffers for it as it is far to domesticated for my tastes. After an all too brief appearance at the beginning Charlie doesn’t reappear until half way through the film and he is played completely for laughs this go-around. Although the previous two films had their humor and the character of Charlie has always been the comic foil, there is no one in this film that can balance the comedy like Scott Grimes did in the previous films. The film makers try to do this with the three main children leads in the film but they can’t hold the film and the overall film suffers. This film is actually boring through many of the repetitive parts.

This being sad I enjoyed the ending of the film more than the film itself as the End Credit sequence sets up the events for Part 4 and it is a welcomed return to see Terrence Mann return as Ug (despite the fact that at the end of Part 2 he has the same face as Charlie).

Film Review: CRITTERS 2: THE MAIN COURSE

2010-09-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Bigger. Badder. And out for more food. The critters are back for more in Critters 2: The Main Course (1988) and back with them are returning bounty hunters Ug and Lee and Brad Brown (Scott Grimes) to save his little town from an all new infestation.

After the events of the first film the Brown family is unaware that Critter eggs were left in their barn where the cold has kept them in suspended animation for several years. An uncouple less junk sales man gets his hands on them and sells them to an unsuspecting woman who is contributing them to the yearly Eater Egg Hunt. This all coincides with Brad’s return home after leaving due to the events surrounding the first critter attack. He gets more than he bargained for when this new batch is more fierce and hungrier and are multiplying at an exponential rate. Now Brad must get the whole town to help him rid them of the infestation before they are completely over run.

This film is much bigger than the previous film and with a bigger budget it shows. The film is no longer limited to just one location like the original film and there are more explosions and more critters all over the place. This is a film that when it says, “Bigger is better,” they actually mean it. This film also ups the stakes as main characters are killed off and more people meet their deaths than in the previous film (which was tame compared to this film). There is plenty of humor to be had and just as much action (which makes up for the lack of suspense since the critters are not as menacing as they were in the previous film).

This is a rare instance where a sequel improves upon the original which is due to the strong screenplay by David Twohy (Warlock, The Arrival, Pitch Black) and Mick Garris (The Stand, Desperation), who also directed. The film also has a great supporting cast with many people returning from the original but also adding in a few new faces such as Liane Curtis, Sam Anderson, and Barry Corbin, to name a few.

Film Review: CRITTERS (1986)

2010-09-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

In 1986 a creature feature was crafted to cash in on the success of the Joe Dante film Gremlins (1984). The result was this uniquely crafty horror film Critters. Similar in tone to that of its predecessor, Critters was the “Roger Corman” version of Gremlins in a similar way that Dante’s other film Piranha (1978) was a rip-off of Jaws (1975).

Critters concern a race of aliens that crash land on Earth in search of nothing more than food and to procreate. On their trail are two shape-shifting bounty hunters who will hunt the critters down at any cost. What stands in the critters way is the farm house of Brad Brown (Scott Grimes) and his family. Brad is the quintessential trouble maker who wars with his older sister and constantly makes a nuisance of himself for his mother and father. His only friend is the local drunk Charlie (Don Opper) who is the only person that believes him when he says that there are aliens that have landed. Now Brad must enlist the help of the bounty hunters in order to save his family from the hungry balls of critter fur.

The film works in a different way than Gremlins in that these creatures are intelligent and speak their own language (which makes for some very funny moments in the film) and they actually are the source of a lot of nice suspense in the film. The film is also dark in atmosphere while maintaining a nice balance with the comic tone and humor of the film. Despite the similarities that the film has with its predecessor it stands on its own due to the sci-fi aspects of the film (which Gremlins does not have).

Critters become such as success as to warrant three sequels and making it one of the more interesting franchises of the ‘80s.

Film Review: MANEATER (2007)

2010-09-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say that this Gary Busey starring throwback to ‘80s made-for-television horror is horrible (like so many other films that premiered on the Syfy channel) but oddly enough it’s not terrible. The film Maneater (2007), which shouldn’t be confused with the countless other films with the same title, concerns Grady Barnes (Busey) whose small town is suddenly under attack from a wild Bengal Tiger that has misplaced from its known world. He then must enlist the aid of the National Guard and a wild game tiger hunter from India in order to kill the wild tiger before any more people are killed despite the fact that the Mayor refuses to close down the local Corn & Apple Festival which brings in lots of tourists and keeps their small town alive.

Sounds like a riff-off of Jaws (1975) and for the most part it is, just replace the giant great white with a Bengal Tiger and there you have it. The thing that makes this film slightly different from other films is the religious allegory and motif that is established between the tiger and the small boy in which the tiger has become attached (and is the only person exempt from the tiger’s jaws). This doesn’t make the film better as it suffers from mediocre acting from most of the cast (although Busey does give a much more subtle performance than I’m used to).

An asset to the film is the real tiger used in the film and the lack of CGI effects. This film feels like a monster film from the ‘80s from beginning to end. Unlike other Syfy films that rely too heavily on the CGI monster it was nice to see a film that strived for realism. This is not to say that the film was a masterpiece but it’s nice to see that there are still a few films being made in which they feel like the films I watched on television when I was young.

Graphic Novel Review: THE 'NAM Vol. 1

2010-09-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

The late ‘80s were dominated by superhero comics. All other genres were pushed aside to make way for the latest Spider-Man or Batman title or the latest debut of an all new Marvel or DC character but war comics were seen as something that was dead and buried. Then in ’86 Marvel debuted what was thought to be an oddity and a gamble with the very real and very gritty title The ‘Nam, which depicted events during the Vietnam war in a very realistic manner from the grunts point of view. Although not an instant success, The ‘Nam became one of the most ground breaking titles of the ‘80s. This first volume collects the first 10 issues of the series.

When the title was originally released, I didn’t catch on to it until the issue 8 or 9 and I was hooked immediately. It was unlike any other title I had ever read. Trying to pick up back issues was extremely hard as they became immediate collector’s items but Marvel (the company that released the title) was smart enough to reprint back issues in the form of The ‘Nam Magazine (covers of which are included at the end of the graphic novel). This graphic novel is a reprint of an earlier version just rebound and recolored (the original graphic novel covers are also included). This is a very handsomely presented collection of one of the greatest war comics.

Reading the series in sequential order is a revelation as the stories were designed to be in real time and there be a month of time that goes in between each story (the release date of each issue) so reading the series in which it was meant gives you a whole different perspective on the events and characters of the series especially when very well liked main characters are killed off at a moment’s notice (similar to that of the real war). People coming to the title for the very first time will benefit from this and those (like me) who haven’t read the series since it was originally released will be given a new perspective on one of the greatest of all war comics.

Graphic Novel Review: ZOMBIEWORLD: CHAMPION OF THE WORMS

2010-09-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

The zombie genre has become its own cottage industry when it comes to the comic industry so it was with great apprehension that I picked up ZOMBIEWORLD Vol. 1: CHAMPION OF THE WORMS but I did because of the talent behind the book. I’ve always been a Mike Mignola fan so I was curious on how he would approach the material and even though I am not familiar with the art of Pat McEown it was very similar to Mignola’s own.

The story does not waste time getting straight into the story as Major Damson and his group of paranormal specialists has been consulted by a museum with a new Hyperborean relic which has been causing the museum several superstitious problems. Damson believes that the museum has unwilling set into motion the resurrection of Azzul Gotha, one of the most dreaded necromancers of the Hyperborean people, who was entombed alive in a sarcophagus. Azzul Gotha wants to bring about the end of the world and appease his Worm Gods. Now Damson and his team must find the resurrected Azzul Gotha and stop him before he can raise the dead and bring about the end of the world.

Like many of Mignola’s stories this is very fast paced but unlike the successful Hellboy books this story lacks the depth and characters of those books. This story falls flat partly because the characters never become fully developed and the story lacks any real creativity or originality. There is nothing new here that hasn’t been seen or done before. Damson’s team all seem unique and interesting but very little time is spent on any of them and they come off as being very flat and at times dull.

Being a huge fan of the zombie genre I wish I could say some good things about the title but I’ll reserve that for the next Hellboy story.

Graphic Novel Review: CHALLENGER DEEP

2010-09-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

The comic book industry and graphic novels have changed dramatically over the past decade. No longer dominated by the superhero genre the industry has allowed other genres to flourish especially the sci-fi and horror genres. A few years ago a graphic novel such as Challenger Deep would’ve been an oddity but in today’s market this sci-fi drama is the norm and publisher Boom! Studios has made it a norm to challenge their audiences with though provoking stories of all genres (including the occasional superhero book).

Challenger Deep is the story of an elite rescue team who must journey into Challenger Deep, one of deepest trenches of the ocean, when a nuclear submarine is damaged and sunken to a depth that no ordinary man could ever dive down to. The clock is ticking down as the nuclear sub is destined to detonate if it is broke back on line and back in the control of the military. If this happens the nuclear bomb will detonate “methane ice” in the trench which will set into action a global chain reaction that may turn the entire Earth into a fireball. In order to get down to the nuclear sub the government enlists the aid of Dr. Eric Chase and his team. Not only does Dr. Chase need to get down to the sub in only seventy-two hours but there are also survivors in the downed sub that are experiencing their own possible mutiny.

With script by Andy Schmidt (story by Schmidt & Andrew Cosby) and art by Chee this is a very fast paced thriller in the vein of the films The Abyss and Crimson Tide. Chee’s artwork as always is a marvel to behold and it brings the deep sea world of Challenger Deep to life. Schmidt’s script is very smart and intelligent and even though Dr. Chase is not a likable character at first the story gets deep into the motivations of why he is someone whom people hate but is dedicated to his profession when it really counts. Having the secondary story focus on the survivors trapped within the downed sub and how a mutiny within endangers the entire world is a great addition and allows the story to really feel the immediacy of the clock ticking down to Armageddon.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel and fans of this genre will find lots to enjoy as well.

Graphic Novel Review: THE UNWRITTEN Vol. 1

2010-09-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

I picked up this collection of the first 5 issues of Vertigo’s The Unwritten series for two reasons – 1) because it’s a Vertigo title and 2) because I heard very good things about the series. This first volume called “Tommy Taylor & the Bogus Identity” was not my idea of a very good series. Although I usually enjoy Vertigo’s titles, The Unwritten, despite the great praise, is not my type of book.

The story follows Tommy Taylor whose adoptive father made him the fictional character of a hugely successful series of fantasy novels. When validity of his true background comes into question Tommy sets out trying to discover his true roots but soon realizes that his life parallels that of the fictional character in the novels. As Tommy gets closer to learning the truth his life is thrust into an eerie world of dark fantasy that will forever change his life.

The series plays like a darker version of the popular Harry Potter novels if they based in reality. Bad news for me as I’m not a big fan of fantasy nor Harry Potter so this series didn’t hold my interests too well. The series is written by and art by Mike Carey & Peter Gross, who were behind Vertigo’s other popular series Lucifer. Although I’m not a fan of this series there is no denying that it’s extremely well written and researched and that Carey and Gross have a very huge story that they are telling. For fans of dark fantasy mixed with reality this is definitely the series for them. The story has a very rich history and plenty of supporting characters to support a very long run. Even though I wasn’t a fan of the series there is no denying that readers who enjoy this type of fantasy will enjoy what Carey and Gross have in store for them. Vertigo is always stretching boundaries and this series is no different.

Film Review: BASKET CASE 3: THE PROGENY

2010-09-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

Writer/director Frank Henenlotter decided to bring the separated Bradley twins back for one last adventure in Basket Case 3: The Progeny. You’d think that after the events of the last film that there was nowhere else for the franchise to go but Henenlotter has decided to give the deformed Belial Bradley brother a brood of his own.

The final film in the trilogy begins right after the events of the previous film in which Duane Bradley (Kevin Van Hentenryck) has accidentally killed the love of his life Susan and going a little crazy has decided that it is better if he and his brother Belial no longer be separated so he surgically connects them together again. In the new film Duane is just a little crazy having been re-separated from his brother by Granny Ruth (Annie Ross) who decides to pack up all the “freaks” of the house and travel to Uncle Hal’s (Dan Biggers) home because he is the only one who may be able to deliver Belial’s brood without harming the mother. Things begin to get out of hand when Duane decides that it’s best that he and his brother escape Granny Ruth but his attempts at escape bring the unwanted attention of the police. When the police break into Uncle Hal’s home they discover the existence of Granny Ruth’s freaks and decides to take Belial’s brood hostage. This doesn’t sit too well with Belial or Duane or Granny Ruth and the rest of the freaks as they set out to avenge the death of Belial’s mate and the kidnapping of his brood. It’s an all out battle between the freaks and the normals and nothing will ever be the same as Granny Ruth and the rest of her brood refuse to remain hidden from the world.

Not one to repeat himself Henenlotter decides to evolve the story of freaks everywhere as this is a film in which Duane must come to terms with his place in the world whereas Belial has already found his place and he will stop at nothing to protect his own and his family. Whereas in the earlier films it was Belial protecting Duane it is now Belial protecting his children and Duane protecting Belial and all of his fellow freaks. The story comes full circle in the third film.

Fans of Henenlotter should not be worried as the film is filled with over the top gore and humor from beginning to end and a fitting end to one of the horror genre’s most imaginative trilogies.

Film Review: BASKET CASE 2

2010-09-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

For horror fans the name Frank Henenlotter is not only synonymous with horror but also the strange and unusual and comedy as well…just all within the same film. Henenlotter first success was the original Basket Case but it would be with its sequel Basket Case 2 that he would set the horror world on fire with his offbeat sense of humor, characters, and gore.

After the apparent death of separated Siamese brothers Duane (Kevin Van Hentenryck) and Belial Bradley, the two are whisk away to a hospital where they are on their death bed and held captive for murder. They are rescued by Granny Ruth and her granddaughter Susan (Annie Ross and Heather Rattray, respectfully) who run a half way house for mutants and freaks like them. As Duane and Belial recover from their injuries Duane begins to feel that in a house of freaks he is the one who’s the real freak and starts to ponder a life outside in the normal world where he will no longer be looked upon as a freak. Trouble starts to arise when a nosy reporter starts snooping around and threatens everyone at Granny Ruth’s forcing Duane to choose between his brother and his old life and that of the life he wants to have.

The thing that makes Henenlotter’s films such great horror entertainment is that his films are not just about the outcasts of society (i.e. Frankenhooker and Brain Damage) but they also are the heroes of his films whereas the “normal” people are usually the villains despite the horrific nature of his films. Although Belial is a killer he never kills unless provoked or is protecting someone.

I’m a huge fan of films in which the “freaks” are the main characters of the film as some of my favorite films are Freaks (1932) and Clive Barker’s Nightbreed and my favorite stories are The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. I must add though that Henenlotter’s films are an acquired taste as the gore and humor are very tongue in cheek. It’s takes a special type of horror fan to appreciate Henenlotter’s contribution to the horror genre.

Film Review: George A. Romero's SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD

2010-09-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

Few directors have had as profound effect on the horror genre as writer/director George A. Romero and his contributions to the zombie genre are legendary so it is with great excitement that I can talk about his latest zombie epic is his ever expanding …Dead series Survival of the Dead. Not so much a direct sequel to the previous film Diary of the Dead but a spinoff as it features one minor character from that film and expands upon his story.

This new film follows Nicotine Crocket (Alan Van Sprang) and his fellow soldiers who have gone AWOL do to the world going to the zombies. He and his platoon are now just trying to survive in a world overrun by zombies which means stealing and looting from those who are unfortunate enough to come across their path. Their luck may have changed when they come across the possible safe refuge of Plum Island only when they get there they realize that the residents of the island have their own civil war going on. Ever since the dead began to rise from the grave the two Irish clans that populate the island the O’Flynns and the Muldoons have been killing each other. The O’Flynns wants to kill the dead no matter who it is to protect the living whereas the Muldoons wish to preserve the dead in the hopes that a cure be found and if not a cure than a means in which to get the dead to eat something other than other humans. When Crocket and his team get to the island he realizes that he is caught in the middle of a war that will have consequences on all sides.

Fans of the zombie genre may be a tad disappointed by the film as there is very little zombie massacre to be had. Instead this film is a character study between three sides of one of the most important questions in regards to what should be done if a zombie apocalypse was to ever happen. How much “humanity” do we lose when the world becomes a living hell? And can the dead be domesticated?

Romero’s film is filled with the same humor displayed is his Dawn of the Dead especially in terms of the way in which the zombies are killed. This is a highlight of the film as Romero has been a tad too serious with the last two …Dead films. This film has a lot more humor despite the social commentary that is abound in a Romero film. Fans and critics who dismissed his last film for it being too apparent with the social commentary (the film was criticized for being two transparent and repetitive) don’t have to worry about this film as Romero has a lot more fun with the material and it makes for one great entertaining ride. This film will also keep gore hounds happy as it is a Romero film and gore can be found everywhere, it just has more of a sense of humor.

Produced for an estimated $4 million (more than his previous film) it’s surprising that the film wasn’t given a wider release although it did preview a month earlier on VOD, Amazon, etc. for download which is fast becoming the norm for indie films in order to recoup costs. Considering that the popularity of zombie films have been on the rise it’s hard to imagine why this film (especially since it’s a Romero film) didn’t get a wider release. Regardless, it’s a thought provoking and entertaining zombie film that will definitely find an audience once it hits DVD.

Film Review: RED (2008)

2010-09-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

The novels of writer Jack Ketchum have thus far been given justice The Lost, The Girl Next Door, Offspring, and now Red, which is by far the best of the lot. Although the film has had a troubled past (with original director Lucky McKee being replaced by Trygve A. Diessen), the end result has not been affected. Red is a captivating and engaging film from beginning to end due in no small part by the commanding performance of star Brian Cox.

Cox is Avery Ludlow, a general store owner who likes to spend his days fishing with his trusted companion Red, which is the last remnant of his dear departed wife. On one seemingly uneventful day Ludlow is enjoying a good day of fishing with Red when three teens come upon them. The teens intend to rob Ludlow but he has no money on him and they in turn shoot and kill Red out of spite. Ludlow goes to the authorities but there is little justice to be had when an animal is killed no matter how beloved the animal is. Ludlow then sets upon getting justice from the parents of the teens but the parents are oblivious of their children’s activities and Ludlow soon realizes that because one of the teens is the son of a wealthy business that money can buy anything. Ludlow then goes to desperate measures in order to get justice for the death of Red which will lead to actions that he won’t soon be able to take back.

Unlike the previous films adapted from Ketchum’s work this film is not violent as all the violence is off screen or in the shadows. Instead, this film plays upon the emotional violence inflicted on Ludlow and how that violence can make a peaceful man into a violent one.

Red is an excellent example of how an actor can drive a film despite everything else that may happen with the film. After McKee was let go so too was Angela Bettis and Diessen does bring with it the cache of McKee but despite this the film is headlined by Cox but has genre favorites Tom Sizemore, Asley Laurence, Robert England, and Amanda Plummer among its amazing cast. This is one of those films that if you’re a pet owner that once you see the film you won’t soon forget it.

Film Review" SPLICE

2010-09-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

There are few sci-fi – horror films that try to blend both of the genres and do it in a satisfactory manner. The ALIEN franchise and EVENT HORIZON are the ones that come to mind as well as writer & director Vincenzo Natali’s CUBE, so it is with great pleasure that I recommend Natali’s latest film SPLICE as one of these rare hybrids that actually work.

The film is about two geneticist Clive and Elsa (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, respectfully) who embark on splicing human DNA with that of an animal hybrid in order to further the advancements of mankind in the hopes of finding cures for various human ailments. Their experiment goes further than they expected when they give birth to a humanoid creature they later name “Dren.” At first everything starts off as a simply experiment as the two scientist try to learn as much from Dren as possible all the while keeping her existence a secret as they’ve just broken many legal and moral laws. The older Dren gets the more human she becomes and Clive and Elsa’s creation no longer can be described as an experiment as she becomes more and more fed up with being locked away from the world. Clive and Elsa soon realize that their experiment may have the better of them as Dren possesses more abilities than they could have ever hoped for.

The film delves deep into parental responsibly which is evident from the Frankenstein homage and motifs throughout the film but it goes deeper by updating the story for modern times in which genetic manipulation is reality. The emotional weight of the film comes from the moral implications and conflict between Clive and Elsa and their child “Dren.” The horror comes when that child grows up and the parents have not adequately prepared her for the outside world.

The film succeeds because the concepts and themes are the fears of every parent of their child and for a horror film they are multiplied exponentially. With a Natali film you’re guaranteed complex characters and a human story wrapped within the complexities of a sci-fi film that has a horrific outcome. He succeeds where so many others fail and SPLICE is truly a success story 100%.

Film Review: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 5: THE TOY MAKER (1991)

2010-06-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise returns to its Christmas roots with the last entry in the franchise Part 5: The Toy Maker which was co-written and co-produced by the previous entry’s director Brian Yuzna. This latest film is directed by Martin Kitrosser (who also co-wrote) and explores toys that seem to have a mind of their own that go on a killing spree.

Derek is a disturbed young boy after watching his father get killed by a toy that comes to life and strangles him. Since then he hasn’t been the same and his mother Sarah (Jane Higginson) is trying to do everything she can to bring her son back to normal. When Sarah takes her son to the local toy shop owned by Joe Petto (Mickey Rooney), her son is taken back by the possibility that the toy that killed his father probably came this very toy shop. This is also the theory Noah (Tracy Fraim) who is staking out the store and has an even deeper connection to Sarah & her son than he even knows.

There is an interesting (and obvious) parallel between this story and that of Pinocchio that makes this an interesting sequel in the franchise. Although the film has its flaws, mostly the lackluster characters, its an interesting little film. Unlike the previous film, this film pays homage to the franchise in several ways. Noah works as a Santa Claus for a mall (like in the original film) and at one point several characters are seen watching one of the films in the franchise. This is fitting as this is the last film in the franchise.

I’m not particularly a fan of this film but the acting is stronger in this film than in some of the previous films (the biggest flaw of the previous film) but it lacks the style and ambiance of the last first but improves upon Part 3. Rooney is also an interesting choice for the cast and gets the chance to play a broken drunk father to a problem child soon. His treatment of his son could even border on child abuse.

The visual fx in terms of the toys brought to life is lacking and are the only real drawback of the film as the deaths probably come off as more comical than they should (which is not helped by the abysmal score). The film is good for a once over during the holidays but that’s about it.

Film Review: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 4: INITIATION (1990)

2010-06-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

One year after the previous sequel debuted straight to DVD horror director Brian Yuzna (Bride of Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead 3) was brought on board to develop a different story in which to brand the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise. Yuzna developed the story (with screenplay written by Woody Keith) and directed this in name only sequel Part 4: Initiation, which is more a witchcraft story than a serial killer Santa Clause film.

The film concerns a young reporter Kim (Neith Hunter) who is frustrated with not being taken seriously at her paper and thus wants to investigate the death of an unknown woman who jumped off a building while also experiencing a strange case of spontaneous human combustion. This leads her investigation to a book seller in the same building that the woman jumped from Fima (Maud Adams) and her group of very liberated women. Fima and her group take Kim into their fold and while Kim thinks she is investigating the death the group is putting Kim through a secret initiation process that forces her to confront her inner fears and demons by making them a physical manifestation. All this is done in order to liberate Kim and make her one of the groups newest members after the tragic accident of their previous member.

The story is very interesting in terms of the story taking a very feminist view on a woman’s place in a world filled with men. Yuzna as always crafts some very interesting visuals as Kim’s inner fears are given physical manifestation in the form of world-like creatures and giant cockroaches. What the film suffers from (like many of Yuzna’s films) is bad performances especially from Hunter who comes off as the angriest woman ever. She is so over the top that even the presence of Adams can’t save the overall film.

The theme of Christmas is very loosely displayed in this film and that’s probably because the film was not meant to be a direct sequel to the franchise. The film could have easily been a standalone film but potential profits with the “Silent Night, Deadly Night” brand name probably dictated the change. Regardless, despite the films many flaws this is the best sequel in the franchise simply because it isn’t a standard slasher film but an exercise in mental and psychological fear.

Film Review: SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT 3: BETTER WATCH OUT (1989)

2010-06-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

The ‘80s were filled with straight to video sequels of horror films of which the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise produced its fair share. This second sequel Part 3 Better Watch Out! Was the final story featuring the original “Santa Claus Killer” Ricky Caldwell (this time played by Bill Moseley) who has been kept alive through scientific experimentation. This Dr. Newbury (Richard Beymer) is using Caldwell and experimenting with ESP but doesn’t realize that Caldwell has created a psychic link with a blind woman Laura Anderson (Samantha Scully) who is celebrating the holidays with her brother and girlfriend. Caldwell escapes from Dr. Newbury and people get killed and that’s pretty much it for this film.

The ‘80s were notorious for slasher films that simply presented a killer that killed people for very little reason and that sums up the plot for this film. Written by Carlos Laszlo and directed by Monte Hellman, who directed the drive-in cult classic Two-Lane Backdrop, this film is a by the numbers slasher film on a very limited budget as neither the look of the film nor the kills are as elaborate or intricate as the previous two films. This film is only really for fans of the franchise. I can’t even recommend it to fans of Moseley as he has very little to do other than walk around like a mindless zombie the whole film. It is interesting to note that the film has an early appearance from actress Laura Harring (from Mulholland Dr. and the remake of Willard, to name a few films on her horror resume).

I remember seeing this film when it was originally released and I actually remember liking it (this film along with its brethren made for great holiday viewing every year) but the film has aged horribly (and was probably not all that good when originally released).

Film Review: THE STEPFATHER (2009)

2010-06-09T17:42:00.001-07:00

I probably shouldn’t like this timid remake of a minor horror classic but I actually find little wrong with The Stepfather (2009) probably because I’ve never seen the original film (only its 2 sequels). I am a fan of actor Dylan Walsh having been a huge fan of his television show Nip/Tuck and the film Congo (of which he starred). It is nice to see Walsh expand from those two previously mentioned roles.

The film follows the exploits of a serial killer (Walsh) who marries into a family looking to build the “perfect” family, or the one he pictures in his mind. When it doesn’t work out he kills everyone and then moves on to the next. The film begins with the serial killer now going by the name of David Harris whose new fiancée Susan (Sela Ward) is celebrating the return of her son Michael (Penn Badgley) from military school where he was sent for disciplinary problems. Michael has father issues and immediately takes a disliking to his mother’s new beau. As Michael digs into David’s past he comes closer and closer to proving that this family is anything but perfect and David soon realizes that he might need to cut his losses and move on.
The film as written by J.S. Cardone is very well structured and executed for the first two-thirds as a suspense thriller but falls apart by the end of the film. Cardone does an excellent job keeping the film going by having David dispatch everyone that comes in his way from creating the perfect family but by the time the film winds down to the final act the film never creates any real threat as there is no direct violence of consequences to any of the characters. Even the way in which David is knocked unconscious is timid. The ending is completely predictable and a shame considering everything that preceded it.

Although the film is for the PG-13 audience (who don’t go to horror films that often) as a date film (whom I’m sure the film works for), the film is not for the diehard horror fan as the material is watered down for a specific audience and should not deter others from enjoying the film.

Film Review: HOUSE OF THE DEVIL

2010-06-09T17:41:00.001-07:00

Ti West is a name known to many indie horror films as he brought the film The Roost and Trigger Man to screen as well as the belated Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. Championed by producer and director Larry Fessenden West is fast becoming a name in the horror community of which The House of the Devil is his best film.

Although I was no fan of The Roost there is no denying that the film was not your typical horror film and the same can be said of West’s latest. HOTD details a college student Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue) in the ‘80s who reluctantly takes a babysitting job because she desperately needs the money to get her own house instead of living in campus housing. Despite the fact that tonight is the night of a full lunar eclipse, Samantha takes the job because she’s desperate for the money. She soon realizes her folly as her employers have a nefarious plan to sacrifice her for some Satanic ritual.

The film unfolds at a leisure pace with very little horrific happening until the climax but that’s the thing that sets this film apart from other horror films of late. West (who also wrote the screenplay) spends his time crafting believable characters who find themselves in a desperate situation. You can tell that Fessenden has had an effect on him as Fessenden is well known for his slow burning horror films. By following in Fessenden’s example, West crafts his best film while still telling a story about Satanic ritualization in a realistic manor instead of relying on the conventions of the B-movies that came before it. If West continues on this road he’ll become one of the premiere horror directors of his generation.

Film Review: HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW (1983)

2010-06-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

I’m a big fan of the remake of this film Sorority Row (2009) from last year as it was more akin to Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer and not the remakes of Prom Night or When A Stranger Calls. That was a down and dirty remake like last year’s hit My Bloody Valentine in 3-D, so when I finally got to view the original film The House on Sorority Row (1983) I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the film.

Although the film is obviously a product of its time as it deals with a group of Sorority sisters who prank on their den mother goes horrible wrong and they end up killing her. Unable to dispose of the body quickly the sisters hide the body in the pool hoping to be able to dispose of the body later. When later comes the body is gone and they soon believe that maybe their den mother wasn’t truly dead so now they are on a desperate search to find her before she can tell the truth. The only problem that the Sorority sisters now have to contend with is that maybe their den mother is trying to kill them for what they did to her.

The film is a cat & mouse game that works very well even by today’s standards despite the timid gore, in fact, there is very little gore to be had in this film (especially compared to the remake). This being said, the reason why I enjoyed this film so much were the blatant homage to the French film Les Diaboliques, which is one of my favorite thrillers. The sisters disposing of the body in a pool and then realizing that the body is no longer in there, among other things, demonstrates how much the filmmakers were influenced by that film. HOSR may not be cinematic gold but all it takes is that little something extra to set itself apart from the rest of the ‘80s horror pack and this is one of those things.

Horror 2010 - The Body Count So Far!

2010-05-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

HORROR 2010 – THE BODY COUNT SO FAR
With the remake of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010) soon leaving the box office to make way for the summer blockbusters and the impending release of the most anticipated horror film of the summer SPLICE just around the corner it’s time to take a look at the horror films thus far released in 2010. The box office info was obtained from the website of Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com).

1. SHUTTER ISLAND ($127.6 million) – This Martin Scorsese back to terrifying form after a long hiatus since his remake of CAPE FEAR. Although this film had trouble finally making it to the big screen after several changes in release dates, the long delays did not hamper the success of the film and it is, in fact, one of the highlights of 2010 whether horror film or not.

2. THE WOLFMAN ($62 million) – This film was plagued with all types of problems from the moment it was announced to be in production to its final release and although it had a healthy opening weekend subsequent weeks proved that there was little audience for this overblown remake. It was all action and no heart. Now that the film is being released in a longer version on DVD there is hope that audiences will finally be able to see the film in a more complete form.

3. A NIGHTMARE OF ELM STREET (approx. $60.6 million) – Although this remake has been one of the most profitable in recent years it also boasts one of the worst reactions by fans. It’s steep attendance drop from week 1 to week 2 of release was a disaster giving the film one of the worst second week percentage drops of any other film this year. It seems that fans were not inspired by this timid remake.

4. LEGION ($40.2 million) – This action-religious-horror film left many scratching their heads as it was neither a true horror film and neither a true action film. It had its successful moments but these were few and far in between leaving many genre fans just waiting for it to hit DVD rather than waste the time at the box office.

5. THE CRAZIES ($39.1 million) – A remake that fans actually liked. Although the film only did mediocre business fans enjoyed the update of George A. Romero’s original infectious disease tail. This update was suspenseful and effective on many levels and was different enough from the original to not be openly compared.

6. DAYBREAKERS ($30.1 million) – One of my favorites of the year that did not translate into huge box office success. This was more an intelligent action film when fans were looking for a horror film (especially after being assaulted by the likes of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON last year). This film also had release troubles and it didn’t help that it was over shadowed but the juggernaut that was AVATAR. This is still one of the best horror films of the year as well as one of the best vampire films in the last few years (this coming from someone who doesn’t particularly like vampire films).

7. REPO MEN ($13.8 million) – Some may ask why I include this sci-fi hybrid on this list but let’s not discredit this highly violent film that documents the horrors of a future in which a repo man can rip the heart out of a still living human being. This is a horror film if there ever is one plus it’s interesting to compare this film with the similarly themed REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA from last year.

8. HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE) ($115,186) – Although it’s only had a limited release, this film has had a polarizing effect of audiences everywhere (including those who were lucky enough to see it while it was in film festivals). Critics either love or loathe this film which is mark of some of the best indie horror films. Any film that can divide an audience as much as this one is good in my book.

9. AFTER.LIFE ($108, 595) – This ghost story boasts an incredible cast from an all new voice in horror as this was the director’s debut film. Despite the limited release the film got very good reviews and there is hope that when the film finally reaches DVD that it will find its audience.

10. BEST WORST MOVIE ($31,208) – Who said that documentary films had to suck? This documentary of the legacy of the infamous TROLL 2 has gotten great reviews from audiences at film festivals everywhere and it’s a miracle that the film was even given a limited theatrical release. Despite this I’m assured that the film will find an audience just like the original film it is based on.

There have been several other horror films released theatrically in 2010 but Box Office Mojo does not always track all the limited release films. Despite this info 2010 has been a very limited year thus far for the horror genre and there is hope that things will change once we get into the end of summer (when horror films are more plentiful).

10 Most Influential Zombie Films

2010-05-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

When Cryptshow.Net creator Ron McLellen asked me to do an article of the ten most influential zombie films I was beside myself. I’m a huge admirer and follower of the genre from countries all across the world so choosing only ten films out of the hundreds available was going to be a daunting task. Which films to choose whether they are just plain excellent verses whether or not they’ve had an impact of the genre, this was going to be the hardest choice for me but I hope that the ten films I’ve chosen will suffice it for the most diehard of zombie fans, and if not, I invite criticism of all kinds.

The zombie genre would not be what it is today without the success and influence of director George A. Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead (1968). Considered the grandfather of zombie films (although Romero considers his creature ghouls and not zombies) NOTLD gave cinema a true monster in the returned from the dead and walking around aimlessly craving human flesh creation. The zombie had appeared in cinema prior to this film but was never more popular until after the success of this film. In fact, many zombie films prior to NOTLD were played for humor while Romero’s film is played 100% straight with a growing sense of dread throughout. There is no zombie film produced today that does not owe a debt of gratitude to the influences that NOTLD has had on the genre.

Romero would again change the face of the zombie genre with his next zombie film Dawn of the Dead (1978). Whereas NOTLD was played straight, DOTD had its tongue played firmly in cheek. Romero has repeatedly maintained that this film was a live comic book which is evident from it’s over the top violence (the beginning massacre and following moments) and comic overtones (displayed especially at raiding of the mall montage and the climax of the film). Although the film has its comic moments it’s also a very polarizing film due to the film’s themes and political commentary throughout which is something that the zombie genre (and for that matter horror films in general) are not known for. Another influence that this film had on the genre is its international success. Because the film was co-produced by the Italian director Dario Argento, an international version (simply titled Zombi or Zombi, Dawn of the Dead) broke all kinds of Box Office records and opened the doors for other zombie films to be produced all over the world.

On the opposite spectrum of the zombie genre there was crafted Return of the Living Dead (1985) which took Romero’s zombie and turned it on its head. This film created the talking and sometimes intelligent zombie and gave them a purpose – “brains.” Played for laughs as well as scares this cult favorite gave future zombie productions a different type of zombie from the one that Romero made popular. This film also had a huge influence of the music for the zombie film (and horror films in general). Although the international version of Dawn of the Dead had the rock music of Goblin, it was ROTLD that made rock music popular in zombie films. Its album was a huge success at the time. The debate over talking or non-talking zombies would never be the same after the success of this film.

Due to the international success of DOTD, the Italian film market would forever change. To follow in the footsteps of that film was the in-name-only sequel Zombi 2 (aka Zombie) (1979) from acclaimed director Lucio Fulci. Returning to the original zombie from voodoo folklore this film has nothing to do with DOTD but it acts as somewhat of a prequel to the events in that film. Fulci’s film was brutal and gory with no limits and uncompromising in every way. This success of this film not only mad Fulci and international name to genre fans everywhere but also influenced the entire Italian horror film industry. After this film there were a plethora of zombie films that assaulted the international market under all types of relevant (and sometimes irrelevant) names. Fulci himself would direct three more highly influential cult favorites in City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond (1981), and House By the Cemetery (1981). The Italian film industry would never be the same again.

I would have to say that the most influential “traditional” zombie film would have to be director Wes Craven’s The Serpent & the Rainbow (1988). Based on the non-fiction book by Wade Davis is as psychological thriller on the origins of zombification, magic, voodoo, and an entire culture of people who “believe.” There has been no other film like it and I doubt there will be another. Although the film was a modest success at the Box Office its cult status is undeniable. Many of the more low-key and indie films borrow a lot more from the zombie conventions of this film rather than the more spectacular elements of all the films thus far mentioned. Although the film White Zombie (1932) has the distinction of being one of the first zombie films to feature “traditional” zombies its influences on the genre in no way out way those of Craven’s film.

If it’s splatter you want than it’s splatter you’ll get in director Peter Jackson’s over the top film Braindead (aka Dead Alive) (1992). Not only did this film introduce the world to Jackson but it also introduced to the world a more over the top and comedic approach to the zombie film which offered not only laughs and buckets of gore but a “real” plot and story to what could have easily become another throwaway zombie film. It’s also a “love affair” for not only zombie fans but horror fans in general as it was a film that openly paid homage to many of the films that came before it (long before Scream made it “cool” to do so). This film made it possible for other low budget films to be made. With the success of this film came a flood of low budget zombie splatter films (now a genre all its own) from all over the world (most notably from the shores of Japan whose films were way over the top and the zombie genre seemed to be everywhere) some for better and some for the worse.

In 2002 the zombie genre would again be changed forever with the release of 28 Days Later. Although now traditionally a zombie film, this film features the infected who are every bit a zombie except for the fact that they aren’t dead. This film also introduced the fast moving zombie, or more appropriately made them popular. This film broke all types of taboos in regards to the mainstream zombie genre not to mention the fact that it was shot on digital video giving the film a gritty and almost realistic aesthetic. This film also made “infected” people popular to include in the zombie genre when every other similar film before this one separated the two sub-genres. After this film became an international hit the shores were consumed with digital video filmed zombie films some of which have developed their own cult following.

Mentioning the popularity of fast zombies cannot be discussed without mentioning the most influential one of them all which is the remake of Dawn of the Dead (2004). Whereas 28 Days Later introduced the fast running infected, it was this film that introduced the real fast moving…no running zombie. This remake, at the time, was a rarity as it had many name actors attached (Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer, and Jake Webber, to name a few) in what could have been a Box Office dud considering that there had not been many zombie films that actually made a profit in years. This was a suspenseful and terror filled horror film that, while it paid homage to the original, was an original film all its own (the mark of how a remake should be made). The film was a huge Box Office success that not only made the zombie genre popular again but ushered in a new era of horror remakes (now all the rage over the past few years). The success of this film also made it possible for Romero to finally get financing for his next zombie film Land of the Dead (2005), which in my book was an excellent thing. There was no turning back now, the debate over fast verses slow moving zombies would forever change the face of the genre.

Despite what mainly people may think Resident Evil (2002) is one of the most popular and successful zombie franchises ever. It also happens to be based on one of the most popular horror video game series ever despite the fact that this first film in the franchise bares little resemblance to any of the games. A lot of the film’s popularity is due to the presence of star Milla Jovovich because at the time zombie films still weren’t as popular as they would become after the release of 28 Days Later and the remake of Dawn of the Dead. Despite the horror and terror of the film (which was slight) audiences loved the action and this film had plenty of it. Zombie films didn’t just have to be horror films but they could also be action films as well. Borrowing from the experience of playing the video game audiences had action and violence and loud music which brought the film to life. The success of this film has thus far spawned three sequels (the latest one due out in just a few months) as well as made it popular again to adapt video games for the big screen. There has also been an animated feature length film – Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008).

The final film on my list is Shaun of the Dead (2004). This hugely popular film introduced the world to the rom-com-zombie film (romantic-comedy-zombie). This loving homage to zombie films from Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg (who co-wrote the film) not only has all the requirements of the “Romero” zombie film but also throws in a dash of the romantic comedy as the main character Shaun (played by Pegg) is trying to fix his love life with his girlfriend while the events of the zombie apocalypse is just the background by which the film is played. There have been a few films of this nature (Zombie Honeymoon being the most well known and released the same year) but none have become as popular or as well loved as this film. There have been plenty of zombie comedies in the years following this film but none have been able to fuse the horror elements with those of comedy and the romantic comedy as well as this film (even though many films continue to try).

All of the zombie films discussed in this film have had a hand in shaping the zombie genre and many have even become cult classics. There are many other films that have had just as much an influence on the genre as these films and should be included on this list but these films are the ones that every self respecting zombie fan should be well versed in. Other notable films that could be included are The Evil Dead, Dead & Buried, Creepshow, Dead & Breakfast, Night of the Creeps, Lifeforce, Slither, Masters of Horror episode “Homecoming,” Prince of Darkness, White Zombie, The Beyond, [REC], Tombs of the Blind Dead, The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue, Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, Shockwaves, Dead Snow, Fido, Planet Terror, and Poltrygeist, to name a few.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: The Franchise!

2010-05-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

With the latest addition in American remakes of classic horror cinema – A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), just hitting theaters, I thought now would be a good time to take a look back at the entire franchise and see how well it stands up today.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)
Still a quintessential horror film by one of today’s most successful horror directors Wes Craven. This is the film that “built” New Line Cinema as it was the company’s first major substantial success story. This film holds up very well even by today’s standards due to its innovative story and cinematography. It also holds up well due to its lack of humor (which would over shadow much of the rest of the series) and its many elements of suspense. One of the things that make this film so successful is Craven’s use of suspense to terrify the audience rather than pure gore (although the film does boast some very bloody scenes).

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE (1985)
Not the most liked of the series but it is one of the few that holds up well because it’s main purpose is still to frighten and scare the audience so the imagery is still very powerful despite the departures in story that may hamper the film. The film also lacks the humor of subsequent films allowing this film to remain in the category of horror. Although some of the acting is borderline adequate (most of the young stars never go on to do anything else substantial), the film is filled with atmosphere and a great production design and style that can be traced in many of the subsequent sequels.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: THE DREAM WARRIORS (1987)
One of the strongest of the sequels not just in terms of story and theme, but production design, cinematography, special fx, and casting. This is by far one of the best of the sequels. Despite the fact that all elements of horror and suspense to the character of Freddy is gone, the film makes up for it in strides in so many other ways. This is good and bad as the humor displayed in this film from the Freddy character would demystify the character in future installments. This film would also force subsequent films to rely on the “dream death” as a means to tell the story rather than come up with an actual story to hinge each of the films on.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER (1988)
Trying to take the franchise into a new era, this film first kills off the remaining “Elm Street children” before expanding Freddy’s playground. With the exception of the character who transforms into a cockroach this film is pretty forgettable. It has its moments of entertainment but the film tries too hard to add more insight on the dream world and how it is controlled and how it functions. This is a major flaw of not only this film but later films as well.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD (1989)
The series was running out of ideas by the time this film came around. With only a few Freddy kills (none of which are interesting) this is the most timid of the franchise. The one thing that this film does get right is the production design, tone, and atmosphere. Despite the lame death scenes this film is dark not only in atmosphere but story as well which is the film’s only saving grace. The franchise is at a low point but it gets even lower with –

FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE (`1991)
By far the worst film in the series. By the time this film was released there was only one place left for the series to go and that was 100% “camp.” Besides the Wizard of Oz and Nintendo riffs this is the most unwatchable of the series (unless of course you like camp). This film isn’t even worth watching for the 3-D ending. I love Yaphet Kotto and Lisa Zane but neither of these two actors could save this mess. This is one film that should have gone straight to video.

Wes Craven’s NEW NIGHTMARE (1994)
By far the best sequel in the franchise. Original creator Wes Craven returns to bring an all new nightmare to the screen by mixing film fiction with reality and myth & folklore. It’s one of the most creative films not only of the franchise but of Craven’s career. Despite the many suspenseful aspects of the film, the film’s only flaw lies in the fact that it tries to erase the memory of all the other sequels that came before it (but can’t).

FREDDY VS. JASON (2003)
Who knew that a match up between two of the greatest icons of horror cinema would be this much fun! Despite the borderline camp elements of the film, there is enough violence and good humor to make this one of the best films in the series based on the entertainment value alone. I was actually hoping for a sequel but this would never be (unless of course you read the graphic novel Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash, which adds the Evil Dead franchise to the mix).

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010)
This timid remake has a pacing problem and no style of its own as it takes a page from the book of remakes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and Friday the 13th (2009). The film never finds its own heartbeat and seems like too much of a retread of the original. The origin of Freddy (although very interesting) bogs down the film with unnecessary info and none of the characters are all that interesting making for a very dull film.

Despite my misgivings for the A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), there are many whom this film was their first exposure to the franchise and thus is something of a highlight to the genre. This film is no Freddy’s Dead, so there are several good qualities to recommend (none seem to come to mind just yet) and first timers to the franchise will relish J. Earl’s performance as the iconic Fred Kruger (one of the film’s only high points).

Despite your opinion of the new film or any of the previous films the Nightmare franchise has had an immense effect on the horror genre past, present, and now into the future.

Graphic Novel Review: HAUNT Vol. 1

2010-05-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

I almost didn’t pick up the first volume of the graphic novel HAUNT because it so reminded up of the character of Spawn, which I hate to say I really never cared for. The series even has two of the people behind Spawn attached – Todd McFarlane, inker and co-creator, and Greg Capullo, layout artist. What finally convinced me to pick up the first volume of HAUNT (which collects the first five issues of the series) was that Robert Kirkman was writer and co-creator. I’m a huge fan of his THE WALKING DEAD and CAPES series, among others, and so I decided to take a chance (the book is less than $10.00 so that’s also a plus). I’m glad I did.

This first volume of the series presents a conflicted priest (Daniel) whose brother (Kurt, a Special Ops with the military) is killed by a clandestine group who want some Top secret info that they think he has. Kurt finds himself trapped between the world of the living and that of the dead and only Daniel can see him. Daniel and his dead brother’s ghost Kurt also have an uncommon relationship as Kurt has the ability to inhabit his brother’s body and transform them into a supernatural entity who is virtually indestructible. Things get more complicated when the clandestine group who killed Kurt go after his widow forcing Daniel (with Kurt’s help) to protect her at all costs.

Like most of Kirkman’s work the story stays character oriented and is always fast paced leaving little space for fluff. Kirkman & McFarlane did a great job crafting the background and universe of the characters which a lot of it finds its way into these first five issues (graphic novel). The artwork is also top notch.

Although there are the obvious Spawn influences, the book stands on its own and is a great addition to both Kirkman and McFarlane’s repertoire. I just hope that any follow up series/volumes are as good.

Graphic Novel Review: BEYOND WONDERLAND

2010-05-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

Continuing the events started in Return To Wonderland the second book in the trilogy, Beyond Wonderland – finds Callie hiding from the world under a new alias Lacy with her boyfriend Brandon and awaiting the birth of her unborn child. Callie would like nothing more than to forget her misadventures in Wonderland and that she manipulated her murderous brother into taking her place in that world. Now she is suffering from nightmares and possible delusions that her brother, now as a version of the Mad Hatter, may have found a way into the real world and may want not only revenge on her but her unborn child as well.

The story of Beyond Wonderland, written by Raven Gregory with artwork by Daniel Leister, is an excellent follow up of the story started in the first series as this story focuses on events in the real world rather than those in Wonderland. Don not fret as familiar faces are everywhere as we become aware that the evil that inhabits Wonderland not only has its sights on the real world and therefore this makes for a great middle story before the final showdown. Fans of the first series have nothing to worry about as there is plenty of nightmarish visions to be had as well as the required violence of the typical Grimm Fairy Tales series.

One of the reasons why I enjoy this series so much is the attention to details in regards not only to story and characters but in the history of the world that has been created (which is expanded even further in the Tales From Wonderland graphic novels and stories). Another asset to this series is that because events take place so long after Return To Wonderland, new readers will have no problem jumping right into this story.

With the shock ending of the second part of the trilogy I’m looking forward to seeing how they wrap things up in the final story Escape From Wonderland.

Book Review: ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST: HOW THE LIVING DEAD DEVOURED POP CULTURE by David Flint

2010-05-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

Let me just say that “I love zombie films.” Always have an always will ever since I was we little one pf the age of about thirteen and I saw Night of the Living Dead (1968) for the very first time. That film warped my fragile little mind (more because black and white films seemed scarier to me as a child than color films). So when I talk about David Flint’s book Zombie Holocaust: How the Living Dead Devoured Pop Culture it’s from the perspective of a zombie fan…first.

In saying this I must also say that this book was made specifically for the zombie film fan as it covers a huge wealth of films (some of which even I’ve never seen). Even people who have even a vague knowledge of the zombie subgenre will enjoy this book. Flint packs in a lot of general knowledge about the zombie genre from its very beginning s with such films as White Zombie (1932) and Revolt of the Zombies (1936) to modern day films such as the Will Smith starring I Am Legend (2007) and American Zombie (2007), among others. It even touches on foreign zombie films and zombie memorabilia all in the hopes of displaying how the zombie has become such a huge part of pop culture.

There is no denying that the zombie has been embedded into our pop culture in a huge way from Night of the Living Dead lunch pails to Shaun of the Dead action figures (not to mention those for Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Resident Evil, and even the Living Dead Dolls) to any and all types of memorabilia and collectible. Flint’s book is not only broken up by time period but also other means as well dedicating a chapter to foreign films, gaming, television, and even online content. Although the book does not go into elaborate details, it does give a fascinating overview which will not only enlighten but entertain as well. Flint also problems a wealth of posters, photos, and memorabilia of a wide variety of films throughout the entire book with an added color section in the center as well.

If there is one thing I dislike about the book it is that sometimes it seems like it is just sprouting a bunch of names of films just to squeeze as many as it can in, which can be annoying if you want to know more about the films that are just mentioned in passing. Other than this the book is a very comprehensive book on the zombie genre and culture and a book that no true zombie fan should go without.

Graphic Novel Review: DIE HARD: YEAR ONE Vol. 1

2010-05-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

The Die Hard film franchise is nothing short of amazing as it still manages to pack the theaters especially after the most previous one Live Free or Die Hard was a huge hit. Now the infamous John McClane faces a whole new villain – his first year on the job. Boom! Studios latest hit Die Hard: Year One takes us to the very beginning as we see McClane as a rookie cop on the job in New York City during the 1976 Bicentennial celebration. He gets more than he bargained for when he gets mixed up with an innocent woman who accidentally witnesses two cops murder a man in cold blood. These two cooked cops are part of an even bigger conspiracy that threatens the Bicentennial celebration as well as many innocent lives. Now McClane must prove that he’s more than just a rookie cop in order to uncover the conspiracy and save the girl.

Written by Howard Chaykin, with art by Stephen Thompson, and colorist Matthew Wilson Die Hard: Year One is a great addition to the franchise. Both Chaykin and Thompson capture the spirit and humor of the films in this Year One story leaving little hints of things to come in the future. The story is fast paced and yet still tells a very good story. If there’s one complaint it’s that it was too short. At only originally 4 issues long, the series goes by way to fast (and I wanted to read more) but I guess it’s a good thing that this is only the beginning for the character for Boom! Studios.

Another great thing about the graphic novel edition is that they collect all the various covers from the series so you get a glimpse into all the contributing artists which is always an asset in my book. It is also presented as a hard back version rather than the standard soft cover so you know you’re getting more bang for your buck (also included is what has now become a standard for hard back editions is a book mark or page placement). Hopefully, this is a sign of great things to come.

Graphic Novel Review: TALES FROM WONDERLAND Vol. 1

2010-05-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

The first volume of stories contained within Tales From Wonderland Vol. 1 collects a variety of the one-shots based on the hugely popular Zenescope Wonderland series (which includes Return, Beyond, and Escape From Wonderland). In this volume we learn about many of the various characters that inhabit the world of Wonderland. The stories are written by Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, and Raven Gregory with various artists who contribute to the series.

In this volume we get to see origin of the Queen of Hearts (“Queen of Hearts”), the first Mad hatter (“The Story of the Mad Hatter”), Alice’s original journey into Wonderland (“Alice”), and the origin of Wonderland itself (“The Experiment”). As a bonus this volume also contains the preview issue #0 and first issues of the Beyond Wonderland series (which is the second series in the trilogy following Return to Wonderland and ending with Escape from Wonderland). This volume also contains a collection of the various covers for the one-shots so that fans can see all the different contributions from various artists.

For those readers who have not read the actual series of Wonderland books this is a great stepping on point as it introduces readers to some of the main characters of the universe and even the origin of the Wonderland universe itself. For those who have already read the previous series this is a great way to learn about some of your favorite characters. Be warned that for those of you who have never read this series before these stories are very graphic in nature staying closer to the “Grimm” Fairy tale rather than the Disney version of the characters. This is a very violent series.

Film Review: POPCORN

2010-04-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

I would like to think that the film Popcorn is as good as I remember it when I saw it in ’91 when it was first released, but sadly this is a film, that for me, has aged very badly. Popcorn is about a group of students who put together a revival for old school gimmick films (B-movies in the vein of William Castle) and a serial killer who can mimic any one he wants in order to kill everyone at the revival event.

Jill Schoelen leads a cast on up and coming young actors (at the time at least) in a horror comedy with real bite. When I original saw the film I was young and the novelty of the film was not lost on me. I likened the film to the old Castle and Universal monster films. It was never a scary film, just a film that you could laugh at and have a good time.

Now the novelty is gone and the film can’t hold water under real scrutiny. I wish it did. I’m a huge fan of Schoelen from her days in such films as The Stepfather, Cutting Class, The Phantom of The Opera, and When a Stranger Calls Back, to name a few. The film is entertaining for a few laughs but that’s about it.

Film Review: C.H.U.D. (1984)

2010-04-17T13:12:00.001-07:00

‘80s horror films don’t get much better than the decay of humanity on display in this toxic waste film C.H.U.D. otherwise known as “cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers.” When Captain Bosch’s (Christopher Curry) wife goes missing he decides to take the ravings of The Reverend Shepherd (Daniel Stern) seriously. He’s been trying to get someone to investigate the disappearance of several street people over the last few weeks. As Bosch and Shepherd dig deeper their paths cross with photographer George Cooper (John Heard) who has been documenting the lives of the city’s homeless and destitute.

What the three soon discover is that some of the city’s homeless people have been exposed to toxic waste being illegally dumped under the city. This toxic waste has turned these people into mutated cannibals who survive by eating other people. Now they must expose the truth before they become the next victims of the C.H.U.D.

Although slightly dated C.H.U.D. is nevertheless an entertaining and fun film. The special effects still hold up and despite the plot with several holes it’s a decent film about the harmful effects of illegal toxic waste dumping.

When I was a kid I maybe saw this film a hundred times because instead of being scared I always thought the monsters were really cool looking. I’m a monster geek at heart and this holds a spot in my “guilty pleasure” collection as it should in any self respecting horror fan who grew up with this film.

Film Review: ALLIGATOR (1980)

2010-04-17T13:09:00.001-07:00

The ‘80s were a great time for horror films as animals became man’s worst enemy from Cujo and Cat’s Eye to The Fly and Of Unknown Origin and Alligator belongs right up there with them. Lucky for us Alligator is a competently written film about the harmful effects of genetic manipulation (a popular theme of the ‘80s).

In this film Robert Forster plays a detective on the case of several missing limbs that pop up in the city’s water system. When he is attacked in the city sewer system by a large alligator he must convince the mayor that there is an mutated and abnormally large alligator roaming under the city streets killing whomever gets in its way.

One of the great things about this film is actor Forster who always takes the situation seriously and never plays it for laughs (which is how many of the films of this genre do today). There is humor to be had in this film but it is not at the expense of the film itself which is a testament to the great writing from John Sayles (who would go on to write such unforgettable films as Passion Fish, Men With Guns, Limbo, Matewan, and Eight Men Out not to mention the original Piranha and The Howling).

Because there is no CGI in the film the special effects for the alligator also hold up extremely well (and the fact that they used a real alligator in many scenes). Today a CGI alligator would be used and the film would not have nearly the same impact. Alligator may be a film of the ‘80s but it’s certainly better than many films of the ‘00s.

Graphic Novel Review: WORLD WITHOUT A SUPERMAN

2010-04-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

I wasn’t a fan of the whole Death of Superman storyline/graphic novel but I’m pushing myself to get through the whole trilogy just to say that I’ve finally read the monumentally successful series. World Without A superman is the second part in the trilogy and focuses on the aftermath of the death of Superman at the hands of the alien Doomsday. Whereas the Death of Superman was very simple and pedestrian the writers behind the aftermath of Superman’s death decided to take great care in presenting the emotional turmoil of all the main characters of the Superman Universe at its worse. From Lois Lane’s breakdown from loosing Superman/Clark Kent her fiancé to the Kent’s (the parents of Clark Kent) having to deal with the death of their son and the fact that they can’t tell the world that Superman was, in fact, their son.

The story also delves into a secret government agenda to clone Superman and the breakdown of Lex Luther who is conflicted because he wasn’t the one that killed Superman. Unlike the Death of Superman, this storyline (which was original called “Funeral For A Friend”) is the story of letting go and saying goodbye and it does a great job in presenting an expect tell of the aftermath of the death of one of the world’s greatest superheroes.

Although I am not a Superman fan there is no denying the impact that the character has not only in the DC Universe but on the comic book industry as a whole. The story crosses over all four of the Superman titles and even though it is one story they are trying to tell each individual issue has its own story to tell as well (unlike the Death of Superman which seemed to be one story that couldn’t be enjoyed on an individual issue basis).

This series ends on a great note as the inevitable is finally revealed – That Superman may not, in fact, be dead! Although we all knew this was coming this storyline does a great job in presenting the possibly that Superman may, in fact, be dead.

Graphic Novel Review: SHUTTER ISLAND by Christian de Metter

2010-04-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Having anticipation for the upcoming film release of Dennis Lehane’s novel SHUTTER ISLAND, I was excited that there was a graphic novel adaptation. I was even more excited that this adaptation was not based on the film (like a tie-in would be) but was based on Lehane’s novel and that graphic novel by Christian de Metter was listed as 2009 Official Selection at the annual Angouleme BD Festival (the Cannes of the comic world), which meant that this graphic novel wasn’t going to suck.

I am happy to say that de Metter has effortlessly adapted Lehane’s incredible novel. I could tell you the whole story but being a Lehane story discovering the mystery is half the one. Shutter Island is a mental facility that tries to cure and/or maintain some of the most violent and dangerous people suffering from mental illness. When one of these patients go missing two federal marshals are sent to investigate. These two marshals get more than they bargained for when they are stranded on the island during a storm and they begin to realize that there is more going on at the facility than meets the eye. The story then becomes a mystery of trying to discover how one of the patients escaped and to find the identity of another patient who doesn’t seem to exist.

Lehane’s story is great and it’s very interesting seeing how de Metter adapts it to the comic book medium. Although not truly a black and white comic the book maintains its noir elements by having all the colors muted and dulled down to simple grey tones. The few splashes of color are relegated to flashbacks which are a nice touch. This is one of the true highlights of the year and one that should be read before seeing the film (but after reading the original novel).

Film Review: THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON

2010-04-17T13:04:00.001-07:00

I’m probably going to get a lot of hate mail for this review but I’m doing it anyways. I love werewolf films and despite the fact that I hated the werewolves in this film, I don’t think that THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON was as bad as everyone wants it to be (and there are a lot of people that want it to be). When I did my review of the first film TWILIGHT I didn’t think that the film was all that bad and its sequel which is vastly more entertaining isn’t that bad either.

After reading and hearing many opinions on the new film I’m still left with the same opinion I had on the first film – This is not a film for horror fans. I can’t say this enough. The TWILIGHT novels which were geared heavily towards the female audience has been adapted to films heavily geared towards the female audience; therefore all you horror fans looking for blood and guts and action need to check yourselves at the door. It’s not like the advertisements for the film didn’t warn you (nor the fact that the novels are love stories for the young and female crowd). The movies, which have become more like date movies, are the equivalent of two people going out and watching SLEEPLESS IN SEATLE or THE WEDDING DATE, just with vampires and werewolves. This is no secret.

Whereas the first film was about two people falling in love, NEW MOON is about the break up and how it affects one of the two in the couple who refuses to allow herself to let go and heal. Despite everything about the “sparkly” vampires and the so-called “juvenile” dialogue the film works because it never forgets who its target audience is which are people who experience a breakup and most learn how to deal with it however which way they can. Bella (Kristen Stewart) deals with the breakup of her true love Edward (Robert Pattinson) in a very destructive manner and it is Jacob (Taylor Lautner) who is there to pick up the pieces and try to help Bella cope. This then leads into the love triangle between the three and the conflict between humans and werewolves and vampires (which is all just great food coloring to what otherwise is just a typical love story).

I can find all types of faults with the film (the giant werewolves for one) but these faults do not diminish the impact of what the story, essentially, is trying to say which is breaking up with the one you love is hell and we (as humans, werewolves or vampires) do a lot of stupid things in order to cope. I could go out there and watch WHEN IN ROME, IT’S COMPLICATED, LEAP YEAR, DEAR JOHN, or COUPLES RETREAT, among many others, but why should I when I can get the same thing here only with vampires and werewolves?

Film Review: DAYBREAKERS

2010-04-17T13:03:00.001-07:00

Being a huge fan of the Spierig Brothers’ previous film UNDEAD, I couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for the vampire genre. In their previous film they rewrote everything we know about the zombie genre and turned it on its head and I had faith that they were going to do the same thing for the vampire genre (a genre I personally loathe). I was not disappointed!

In their new film DAYBREAKERS a plague has turned most of the populace into vampires and those who have not been turned hide in fear of becoming a victim of blood farming by a nefarious corporation run by Charles Bromley (Sam Neil). Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) who loathes his existence as a vampire works for Bromley trying to find a synthetic blood substitute because the human population is almost extinct and the corporation’s current blood supply will not last them more than a month. Just when Edward believes that there is no more hope for their kind in steps Elvis (Willem Dafoe) who was once a vampire but through happenstance has discovered a cure for vampirism and a hope for humanity. With Edward’s help Elvis and what’s left of the human resistance hope to cultivate this cure before time runs out and all of humanity is extinct.

Like UNDEAD, DAYBREAKERS is not only a horror film but an action film as well. The Spierig Bros. have outdone themselves this time as this film is a huge step up from their zombie film in terms not only of production values but the caliber of actors and action. DAYBREAKERS is a grandiose film in terms of low budget futuristic films and they don’t skimp out on the horror either (what their fans really want to see) as there is plenty of the red stuff to go around. Everyone is on their “A” game in this film

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I was a little skeptical about the film. The last futuristic vampire film was the abysmal ULTRAVIOLET so you can probably guess why I was apprehensive about this film despite the high caliber talent on display, but the Speirig Bros. present such a fully realized world with DAYBREAKERS that you can’t help but take notice. It’s a shame that this film sat on the studio shelf for a couple years before finally being released (perhaps because of the popularity of vampires after the two TWILIGHT films) but it was well worth the wait as this film is truly a definition of good things to come not only for the Speirig Bros. but for the vampire genre as well.

Film Review: LEGION

2010-04-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I’ve written a film review but I decided to start back up with a review on the film LEGION because there have been so many differing opinions on the film. Being a film with heavy undertones of religious iconography there are those that love the film and those who hate it. I happen to like the film but the other two people who were with me when I screened the film hated it. One of them even wanted to walk out on the film.

The film concerns a group of diner patrons and employees who get stranded at a diner in the middle of nowhere in what appears to be a sign of a religious apocalypse. All of these people are from different backgrounds but what they all have in common is that they all have a past that leaves them with regret. Well, they’ll need to overcome this regret if they will be able to survive the night as the diner is assaulted by possessed humans (who are weak in spirit and faith) who have only one goal – to kill the woman and unborn child of a waitress at the diner whose child holds the key to saving all of humanity. To aid this waitress in her survival is the fallen angel Michael who has forsaken the rule of God in order to not only save the woman and her unborn child but all of humanity in the process. Unlike the similarly themed THE PROPHESY, LEGION is a balls to the wall action film which also takes liberties with many quieter moments in the film that go a long way in delivering a theme about people who all live with some regret in their lives. This regret is the crux of the film as each character is put through the ultimate tests of overcoming that regret in order to save not only their own souls but humanity as well.

It would have been real easy for the film to simply have been an action-horror film that killed each of the characters for no other reason other than to have a huge body count but screenwriters Peter Schink and Scott Stewart go a long way in presenting realistic characters that want to atone for their pasts. The character Kyle (Tyrese Gibson) is a man just trying to be a good father but has spent his entire life living the lie of a gangster. His only goal is to be a good father but the mistakes of his past continue to haunt him. He sacrifices his life to save a child in danger of a rouge gang that have just killed the child’s father. Percy (Charles S. Dutton) sacrifices himself to save the life of one of the other diner patrons (a stranger before that very day) and Audrey (Willa Holland) who was the “bad girl” of her previous school finds it within herself to protect and save the life of a child who may hold the key to the future of humanity. Sacrifice and regret can be no stronger than in waitress Charlie (Adrianne Palicki) who wanted an abortion but now wants to give her child up for adoption. She wants nothing to do with the child but through the course of the story she must face up to her fears and believe that there is a purpose for her and it lies within the future of her child. I could go into further details about each of the characters in the film and how their fates lie together (or apart as it seems with some of the characters) but just know that the writers were not trying to only craft a commercial thrill ride but something with more substance.

Although slightly heavy handed with the religious undertones, the film still manages to pack a punch for those willing to go for the ride. For those who are simply looking for an action-horror film this may not be 100% for them as the film does not hide its religious intent and those looking for simply a religious film than this might have too much action and horror elements. Either way, like THE PROPHESY (which many thought was too dark or too funny for a faith-based film), this film has split audiences.

Comic Book Review: ALIENS (2009) #1-4 (Dark Horse Comics)

2010-04-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

I don’t do too many reviews of individual comic book reviews opting instead to wait until they are collected into graphic novel form so that I can review the story as well as all the supplemental items that publishers put with the graphic novel version to entice fans to fork out more money. Well, with this all new ALIENS series I just couldn’t wait.

Having been a Dark Horse Comics fan from the very beginning (from the meager begins of the first Dark Horse Presents series to the very first black & white ALIENS limited series) I’ve come to expect new and bold things from this publisher who for the most part do not cater to the popular crowd. They were the ones behind the first ALIENS and Predator series as well as The Mask, Concrete, Barb Wire, and many, many more . The ALIENS series has been gone for many years due to over saturation in the market and dwindling value in the stories being told. After a while I began to think that the stories were all a little too similar to one another.

I was very happy to hear that they were revamping the series (thanks in part to the popularity of the two Alien Vs. Predator movies) and writer John Arcudi would be behind it (he’s also doing the new Predator series as well). Arcudi has been in the business a long time and he knows what he’s doing.

This new story concerns a group of scientists who make their way to Chione, an inhabited mining planet that has just recently unveiled the existence of alien structures of which the scientists are sent there to study and analyze. Everything seems to be going perfectly well until the mining inhabitants open fire on the scientists killing them all. It appears that the inhabitants of the planet live in fear that outsiders will come an steal their precious alien artifacts away. This uncontrollable fear is being caused by the alien artifacts themselves which puts all that come near into a euphoric state like an addictive drug driving them all into semi-madness. This madness leaves the Chione inhabitants susceptible to the alien infestation which was kept hidden until the alien structure was unearthed.

Unknown to the mining inhabitants of Chione there was a survivor of the group of scientists and the only reason he survived is because he’s a synthetic organism. This survivor David Sereda now finds himself tasks with trying to answer a distress signal on the planet before he is able to leave it. Sereda now finds himself pitted against homicidal inhabitants, an alien infestation, and the fact that some of his programming was damaged when he was originally gunned down by the natives.

Arcudi bases a lot of what follows in this series from the first two films in the series. The miners come across an alien structure that houses the embryos of the alien xenomorphs, which create an uncontrollable infestation. What Arcudi does well is present us with a sympathetic synthetic that may or may not have programming issues. Artwork is principally by Zach Howard whose work I’m not familiar with but does an excellent job with this new series. Another great asset to the series is Wes Dzioba’s colors which just make the whole series come alive like few of the other ALIEN series before. If this is a sign of new things to come for future series than I’m all for it.

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE: RECORDED ATTACKS by Max Brooks

2010-04-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Max Brooks took the horror world by storm with his breakout novel The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead. This novel was a “how to” on surviving a zombie apocalypse (should there ever be one). It was hugely popular not only with horror enthusiasts but with mainstream audiences as well prompting the release of his next novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, which documented all the historical encounters that mankind has had with the living dead. What made this second novel so popular was the fact that Brooks adopted the style of having all the stories being recounted by survivors and witnesses of a zombie outbreak.

Now we come to the newest addition to the ever growing zombie world that Brooks has created with the graphic novel The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. This graphic novel goes through history documenting stories that may have been “in reality” zombie attacks. Stories range from 60,000 B.C. to the present day and stretch from Central Africa to Siberia to Japan and to the United States. Like in World War Z, Brooks takes the time to cover a lot of ground even in the short span of this graphic novel.

Illustrated by Ibraim Roberson the stories recounted in the graphic novel are lush and so realistic that they pop right off the page. The black & white artwork is reminiscent of an old newsreel and evokes the dread of film director George A. Romero’s original 1968 Night of the Living Dead. Little to no dialogue is spoken between the characters depicted in the stories as Brooks maintains the feeling of his previous novel by evoking the “oral” tradition of storytelling. It is as if we are being told these stories from a first hand account and Robinson’s artwork brings those oral stories to glorious life.

This is a fine achievement in both storytelling and illustration and a great compliment to Brooks’ other two works. If you’re a fan of his other novels (or just a zombie fan at heart) then you’ll love what he’s done here in the comic book medium.

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: TERMINATOR: THE BURNING EARTH

2010-04-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

TERMINATOR: THE BURNING EARTH marked two milestones in comic book history. First, it was the first comic book series that extended the story first created by director James Cameron and his films THE TERMINATOR and TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY and second, it marked the debut of famed comic book artist Alex Rose, who would go on to do phenomenal MARVELS and KINGDOM COME series (among others).

Written by Ron Fortier with painted art by Ross THE BURNING EARTH was a post apocalyptic story about the last days of the residence with John Conner doing battle with his remaining band of soldiers against the sentient Skynet who plans on killing every living thing on Earth with nuclear bombs.

One of the great things about Ross’ artwork is that even though the main color pallet is blues and grey, he manages to create a style that doesn’t muddle the look of the scenes but give them a deeper and darker meaning as if the reader was thrust into a horror film of impending danger and destruction. No one is safe in this world of man verses machines, not even the conflicted leader of Conner who is just trying to hold on to what humanity he has left in this never ending war.

Although not the best of the Terminator series (Dark Horse Comics would later get the license to continue the franchise), it is still definitely one of the darkest of the series and since it was the first it has a lot of advantages over the others. This is also a great series for people who want to see some of Ross’ earliest work and where his current style came from (Ross was 19 when he did this series and only one year out of art school).

Graphic Novel Review: 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: 30 DAYS ‘TIL DEATH

2010-02-05T18:02:00.000-08:00

There have been approximately over ten stories to the undying 30 Days of Night franchise and with each subsequent series brings new artists brings their tale on the iconic vampires of the original series.

In this new series 30 Days of Night: 30 Days ‘Til Death with story & art by David Lapham, the Elders are tired of the ripple effects of the incident that happened in Barrow, Alaska (the original series) and believe that the American vampires need to be thinned so that all vampires will know what real fear is. The Elders send a death squad to America to kill all the “cowboy” vampires (so-called because they are descendents from the first vampire turned in America which was a cowboy).

This story takes a departure from the other stories as it puts a vampire at the forefront of the story. Rufus is a vampire who knows that the only way to avoid being detected by the death squad is to blend in with the humans, so, he gets a lame dog for a pet, takes a junkie woman as his fiancée, and decides to forego killing any humans (at least within city limits) all for the sake of blending in. His plan begins to work perfectly to the point where he begins to like the humans who share his apartment complex. His tranquility is threatened when other vampires from his past decide to crash in on him.

Now Rufus must prevent these new vampires from his past from destroying everything he created before the death squad comes pounding on his door.

I didn’t really care for Lapham’s story as it was so far removed from the original 30 Days of Night series. Although there is a lot of blood flowing throughout (which will keep the fans happy), one of the things I liked most about many of the previous series is the sense of “location” which this series does not have. Most of the story takes place within Rufus’ apartment complex.

Another thing I didn’t like about the series were the cliché characters. I just never became vested in the characters and therefore never really got into the story. It feels as if the series is finally running out of steam and that it should be laid to rest for a time before another series is crafted to cash in on the current popularity of vampires.

Graphic Novel Review: THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN

2010-02-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

In 1992 DC comics decided to do a bold thing and shake up the comic book world in a big way. They decided to alter the course of one of their most beloved and flagship characters. They decided to kill the Man of Steel. Superman.

Over the course of seven comic book issues and five separate titles Superman (with the help of the Justice League of America) would do battle against an unstoppable force of evil which would soon be called Doomsday. This storyline made all types of headlines and broke all kinds of sales records and the graphic novel The Death of Superman reprinted it all in one volume for fans of the iconic character. The graphic novel would become one of the biggest selling graphic novels of all-time with over 14 reprints currently in release.

It took me almost twenty years before I bothered to pick up the story despite how famous the story is. I’m not a big fan of Superman and, in fact, I was actually glad when DC announced they were going to kill him off (but I always knew it would be short lived). He was never a character that interested me like Batman or Green Arrow or the Green Lantern Corps (a far superior group to the abysmal Justice League). The only reason I picked up the graphic novel now is because I was finally curious about what the fuss was about).

Although written and drawn by a multitude of artists, the storyline does read fairly well as one cohesive story. Although the creature known as Doomsday is a formidable foe, he lacks background and purpose that would truly make him a Superman villain in the way that The Joker is to Batman. The creature is a force of pure unstoppable evil and destruction which works throughout the seven issues of the story because he is revealed slowly in pieces as the story progresses (he starts out completely covered in costume in the first two issues of the story). If he had been fully revealed in the first issue the story wouldn’t have had the impact that it did,

The story’s worst aspect is that the whole story is seven issues of one of the longest fights in comic book history which in my opinion makes it feel as though they stretched out the story only so they could make more money by selling more issues. I believe the story could have been stronger if the entire story could have been limited to maybe four issues within the same comic title (although I am very aware that the “crossover” is used to boost sales among several titles at the same time).

Since we all know that Superman is no longer dead, the events depicted in this story didn’t have as profound affect on the title in the long run (although its events did make for many subsequent changes over all the Superman titles of the time). The story strived to be as profound as Batman’s Year One or A Death In The Family or even The Long Halloween but it suffers from the simple fact that there is no subtext to this story. It is simply a bare-bones, knock-down fist fight that goes on for seven issues that was marketed extremely well.

Graphic Novel Review: WEREWOLF BY NIGHT: IN THE BLOOD

2010-02-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

Marvel has re-envisioned one of their earliest characters Werewolf By Night for a new age and they do an excellent job of it in the new series WEREWOLF BY NIGHT: IN THE BLOOD, which finds Jack Russell, a man cursed into a werewolf when the moon is full, trying to live a normal life despite his wolf-like tendencies. When the story begins Jack is awaiting a newborn child with his girlfriend Cassie. He secretly steals away for the three days in which he wolf’s out to lock himself up in an impenetrable cage so that he doesn’t hurt anyone.

After the latest full moon, Jack returns home to find Cassie dead and his child ripped from her womb. Fearing that his wolf personae may have been the cause he flees just as the police arrive to see him with his dead wife. With nowhere to run Jack hides away in obscurity until he learns a cabal of secret agents are after him and may be able to help him. Now Jack must unravel the mystery of the death of his wife while also unlocking the secrets of his past which will shape his future.

Written by Duane Swierczynski with artwork by Mico Suayan, IN THE BLOOD is a violent and horrifying story as can only happen in Marvel’s MAX line of comics. Fans of horror comics will love how the werewolves are updated Marvel style as Suayan’s art is lush and made even more relentless by Ian Hannin’s colors.

This could have been a fairly routine story and series but together Swierczynski, Suayan, and Hannin create one of the highlights of the MAX comics line. This is work that will put the Werewolf By Night character back into the minds and hearts of horror fans everywhere.

As an added bonus, included in this graphic novel are reprints of Tomb of Dracula #18 and the original Werewolf By Night #15 which is the character’s first encounter with Marvel’s version of Dracula.

Graphic Novel Review: TRICK ‘R TREAT

2010-02-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

Over two years ago a little film was produced to great acclaim at film festivals and screenings for those lucky enough to see the film. This film would then go on to sit on a studio shelf with no release date on the nearby horizon. The film in question is TRICK ‘R TREAT. Written & directed by Michael Dougherty the film is a Halloween anthology in the same vein as CREEPSHOW and as such Dougherty wanted to craft a graphic novel that depicted the film in all its gory detail and thus there is now this adaptation by Marc Andreyko with artwork supplied by Mike Huddleston (chapter 1), Grant Bond (chapter 2), Christopher Gugliotti (chapter 3), and Fiona Staples (chapter 4).

The graphic novel follows the film pretty faithfully considering how much has to be trimmed in order to accommodate the format and the four artists do a great job in giving each chapter a unique identity of their own. The who thing comes off as a nice little gift for the Halloween season.

For those of you not familiar with TRICK ‘R TREAT it is the story of several groups of people celebrating the traditions of Halloween and what happens when those traditions are not honored. To make sure that everything goes off as befitting those traditions is the enigmatic Sam, a small child-like person who wears a burlap sack over his head. He is the window through which all the stories are connected.

Although a brief and very fun read, this graphic novel doesn’t have the punch of the CREEPSHOW graphic novel which is partially due to the fact that all the stories interconnect in one way or another, so, each individual story cannot be viewed as such (even though a different artist focuses on each chapter). As a whole the project is not so bad and it may become another great addition to the CREEPSHOW, CREEPY, EERIE, or TALES FROM THE CRYPT mode.

Graphic Novel Review: PINOCCHIO, VAMPIRE SLAYER

2010-02-05T17:53:00.000-08:00

Whoever thought that Carlo Collodi’s original story of PINOCCHIO could be so much fun? Collodi’s original story is much darker than Walt Disney’s watered down version hence why Van Jensen & Dusty Higgins’ original graphic novel PINOCCHIO, VAMPIRE SLAYER. Unlike the Disney version the events in this story take place directly after the events in Collodi’s story.

Pinocchio does not become a real boy at the end of the Collodi story and in Higgin’s (who created the story) and Jensen’s story soon after returning to Nasolungo where his father Geppeto is killed by a race of vampires who have arisen in the town. Now, Pinocchio declares it his duty to rid the town of the plague of undead. To aid him are his two companions Master Cherry, a carpenter, and the Blue Fairy and his wooden nose which he uses to dispatch each of the vampires he comes into contact with (when he lies his nose grows and then he breaks it off and uses it as a stake to kill the vampires).

Jensen & Higgins craft a compelling story that’s both funny and romantic (since Pinocchio falls in love) and suspenseful and terrifying. No one is safe in this world and Higgins’ artwork proves this. His dark black & white artwork uses rich blacks in which the vampires hide before striking from the darkness to kill their next victim. Pinocchio is seen in such the same darkness as he is a character who is surrounded by death and is on a mission of vengeance to avenge his father’s death.

Although the story rings of influences from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, this story is darker because as Pinocchio continues on his journey he also is slowly learning about his true origins and purpose in the world. He did, in fact, come from a piece of magical talking wood. This adds another dimension to the story that by graphic novel’s end will have you wondering when the next adventure will begin. This is a great graphic novel not for just fans of vampires but fans of Collodi’s original vision as it is a great to see where the character has grown.

Graphic Novel Review: WHITEOUT (Vol. 2) – MELT

2010-02-05T17:47:00.000-08:00

With the theatrical adaptation of the original WHITEOUT graphic novel comes renewed interest in creators Greg Rucka & Steve Lieber’s (writer and illustrator, respectfully) work and the second adventure of U.S. Marshall Carrie Stetko in the cold death of Antarctica. It this second series Carrie is enjoying a little R&R when she is called back into service to investigate a tragedy at a Russian research facility. Antarctica is a cold place and it is up to Carrie to use her experience to discover what happened before an International incident occurs.

It doesn’t take long before Carrie discovers that the Russian research facility is really an underground depot that houses illegal weapons and nuclear warheads which have been stolen by a group of professional assassins. Now Carrie has to form an unwilling alliance with a Russian official in order to stop the assassins from escaping the Antarctic and sailing the nukes on the black market. Carrie is racing against time and the harsh weather that the Antarctic brings with it and either the assassins or the weather may be the death of her.

Rucka & Lieber craft another compelling story of one of the most interesting U.S. Marshall’s in comic book history. Like the first story, Rucka crafts a story in which Antarctica is the true character and all the other people in the story are just animals finding a way a way to survive in one of the harshest places on the planet. Another great aspect of the story is all the history that Rucka puts in the story that creates not only the place in which the story takes place but the mood and atmosphere which helps ground the story in reality. Lieber’s artwork accentuates this and together the two craft a story that’s just as compelling as the original graphic novel.

Even though the film WHITEOUT was a sparse version of the original graphic novel it allowed these stories to find a wider audience and that’s a great thing.

The Miracle of REMAKES

2010-01-16T17:42:00.001-08:00

I for one am not the first to declare his dislike of most of the remakes assaulting our screen now and in the past few years but there is some legitimacy to remaking beloved films of the past for a new generation.

This year has seen the release of a multitude of remakes both big and small from FRIDAY THE 13th, SORORITY ROW, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, IT’S ALIVE, CHILDREN OF THE CORN, THE UNINVITED, and HALLOWEEN II, among many others. Next year will see the release of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, NIGHT OF THE DEMONS, PIRANHA 3D, THE WOLFMAN, THE CRAZIES, MOTHER’S DAY, and STRAW DOGS, among others. Remakes are here to stay but that doesn’t mean that they will all be bad.

There have been many excellent examples of great remakes that are treasured by horror film enthusiasts such as John Carpenter’s THE THING, David Cronenberg’s THE FLY, Alexandra Aja’s THE HILLS HAVE EYES, and Zack Snider’s DAWN OF THE DEAD, among others, and then there are those remakes which are a travesty to the genre (i.e. PSYCHO, PROM NIGHT, DAY OF THE DEAD, THE HAUNTING, THE INVASION).

When a remake strives to take the theme and spirit of the film that it is remaking and re-imagine it for a modern audience then the film will become a success as long as it doesn’t bastardize what both new and old audiences want from the film itself. Two films that do this to perfection are the remakes of THE FLY and DAWN OF THE DEAD. Cronenberg and Snider took the themes and ideas of the original film and modernized them and made them more relevant to today’s audiences. Cronenberg made a film that was (in the eyes of the audience) a scientific possibility of teleportation but never took the heart of the film away. It always returned to the relationship between its two main characters which is what due in both horror film fans and regular audiences as well. In the case of Snider’s DAWN OF THE DEAD remake it had a harsher road to travel as trying to remake what is considered the best zombie film ever crafted was not an easy task. Snider’s film kept the spirit and theme of the original film while updating the zombies and making it fiercer and more suspenseful. Many thought that making running and fast zombies would be a bad idea but Snider proved that in many ways it was more terrifying. DAWN OF THE DEAD was the highest grossing zombie film until ZOMBIELAND was released.

Two films that got the remake wrong are Gus Van Sant’s PSYCHO and Jan de Bont’s THE HAUNTING. Van Sant wanted to do a shot-for-shot remake of the original Alfred Hitchcock classic but he soon realized upon his film’s release that what was the point? Audiences didn’t want a shot-for-shot remake if they could just go rent Hitchcock’s original. Van Sant would have been better off returning to the original novel for inspiration (ala Carpenter’s THE THING) or gone in a different direction altogether which would have at least been an inspiration. The opposite can be said of de Bont’s debacle THE HAUNTING which took the basic plot and premise of the original film and completely through away the spirit and theme that has made the original THE HAUNTING one of the best haunted house films ever made. Every film has a plot, but not every film has a spirit and something to say which is why both of these films failed.

Remakes continue to go both ways, those that strive to honor and homage the original film (i.e. THE RING and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD) and those that go in a completely different direction (i.e. THE STEPFORD WIVES and MIRRORS) and some are successful (i.e. THE GRUDGE and HALLOWEEN) while some are completely ignored (i.e. SORORITY ROW and FUNNY GAMES) and there is no end to the cycle (as the many films that I named earlier will attest).

Remakes are something we love and we love to hate and they will never go away. They may disappear for a few years but they will never be gone. Think for a moment about the accomplishments that the remake sub-genre has had. There are countless remakes of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA not to mention Gaston Lereaux’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and Mary Shelly’s FRANKENSTEIN and they are always being addressed for the current generation both good and bad. Let’s all think about this when watching the next remake that Hollywood assaults us with.

The Indie Filmmaking Scene (REPRINTED)

2010-01-16T17:40:00.001-08:00

Note: The following is reprinted from it's original post in its entirety.

Last week I was the Program Director for the Blank Stage Shorts Film Festival whose mandate was to promote local Georgia filmmakers. The event was free for the public as it not only wanted to promote Georgia filmmakers but the venue that the event was taking place at as well (the Artisan Resource Center of Marietta, Georgia).

Watching the many films that had been submitted by local filmmakers I started to see a pattern. The pattern was that many of the films were from the horror genre or made by filmmakers who mostly do horror films. I found this fascinating as that many of the actors that I know personally are looking for more “meaty” roles of which are few and far in between in the horror genre.

Ron McLellen, director of JACK O’LANTERN, was on hand to unveil 3 films from Southlan-Films – THE VAIL, DER SOLDAT, and THE SPIDER & THE FLY, whereas as producer & director Dave R. Watkins (director of THE STRAGGLERS) had four – APPARITION POINT, DEAD JUSTICE, DEAD VENGEANCE, and ZOMBIEWEEN. Sam Drog (director of ZOMBEAK!) had two films with SIXTY SECONDS and BLOOD SCRUB, and director Gary Lynch had CASTING CALL and the non-horror film I WILL HURT YOU. There were several others but the point is that between the 23 films screened a huge chunk of them were horror.

I’m amazed at how horror has infected the indie scene (but let’s not forget that all other genres were represented as well). I’ve worked with and spoken with many of the filmmakers behind some of the festival’s films and many of them had the same thing to say – whether low budget or no budget horror films are some of the most fun to make and can be made quickly. Another good point to mention is that horror films usually have larger than normal casts (the more people to kill the better) and have more action. (and less dialogue – although I’m adding this one in myself).

As an independent producer and director I love making horror films. They’re fun and entertaining and there is always a lot of fake blood going everywhere.

Now the most important thing to remember about low and no budget horror films is that audiences are the most forgiving in terms of almost all technical aspects of filmmaking with the exception that the film must be entertaining. The film can have a bad script and bad acting but as long as someone is getting killed in a unique way every ten minutes then you’re not going to completely fail. It’s almost “good” to be “bad” with a indie horror film whereas with a comedy or drama most audiences are unforgiving in these aspects (it’s all or nothing at all).

Having been a part of three previous film festivals. I’ve seen a lot of bad films but I have to say that as long as there are indie filmmakers out there trying their best to entertain me than I’ll keep watching them (no matter how bad the script or acting may be).

So if there are a few good (or bad) horror shorts out there that you want me to see and review feel free to send them to me. I’m all EYES.

Kevin L. Powers

PO Box 2684, Forest Park, GA 30298

Sorry I've been away for awhile...

2010-01-07T20:36:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I've not written anything in a while but I was on location filming the faith-based film BETWEEN LOVE & A HARD PLACE which took up over three weeks of my time and before that I was doing the Blank Stage Shorts Film Festival and before that I was in production on the Blank Stage production NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY, which means that I've had a very busy schedule as late. I also now write a weekly article for the on line site CRYPTSHOW.

My schedule has been pretty hectic which means I've not been able to publish as many reviews or blogs as I would have liked but that is all about to change for 2010 as I am putting myself on a schedule to produce one blog entry a week so be on the lookout for many new things to come!

There will also be more pictures and more reviews (which are also published on Associated Content website) and lots of more original content that can only be found on this blog!

Are Writer's Groups Good?

2009-11-10T12:27:00.000-08:00

Over the past several months I've joined the Blank Page Writer's Group based out of Marietta, Georgia (and hosted by The Blank Stage). It is a bi-monthly group in which screenwriters get together to not only discuss their screenplays but to also discuss the business and craft and screenwriting. In the last couple months the Blank Stage, through the Blank Page Writer's Group, have started to actually produce some of the short films written by some of the group members.

Although I cannot discuss the specific screenplays being written by the members of the group I do want to address that some of the writter's (through the group) are writing their fisrt screenplay while others are old pros at it. I took my screenplay THE NOCTURNAL inmto the group to try and help me fix some of the problems I was having with the story. In this regards, the group has helped me tremendously.

The format of the group's take on reading screenplays is that we will read pages from 2 different screenplays each meeting and then address what problems or potential problems the screenplay might have. Although I am not partial to this format of reading a screenplay (I prefer reading the whole thing in one sitting and then allow the time for discussion),

Regardless, this is a small price to pay in terms of the tremendous support and atmosphere of the group which has helped the group expand and become a very group atmosphere for writers.

The group has helped me see some of the problems in THE NOCTURNAL which is a good thing considering I needed that feedback in order to help the re-write process and hopefully get the screenplay into a better selling (or perhaps filmable) place.

Now all I have to do is get the re-writers done using the notes generated from the writer's group.

IS ZOMBIELAND GOOD?

2009-10-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

IS ZOMBIELAND GOOD?

It dawned on me that after I posted my comment about the film ZOMBIELAND I got a lot of backlash, so, a friend of mine (being both the writers that we are) told me that I should post a note about my opinions on the film (although now that I think about it he probably meant it as a joke).

First off, let me just say that I’m probably a bigger fan of the genre then most people as I have made it abundantly clear that I not only watch zombie films but I study them as well and unlike most audience members and friends of mine, I’ve seen zombie films from countries all over the world from New Zealand (BRAINDEAD), Australia (UNDEAD), Japan (JUNK, ONE-CHANBARA), Norway (DEAD SNO), France (OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES), Ireland (BOY EATS GIRL), UK (28 DAYS LATER, SHAUN OF THE DEAD), Italy (ZOMBIE), and countless others, so, suffice it to say that I’ve been exposed to a lot of different cultures and the way in which zombies have been portrayed over the years.

American zombie films have up until recently been relegated to only two types – those of the traditional slow moving variety and those of the fast moving, and with the exception of Georgia A. Romero (writer/director of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD -1968) the slow moving have all but become extinct. Funny zombie movies have always been around (as it wasn’t until Romero’s influential NOTLD that the genre was even taken seriously) with such notable films as MY BOYFRIEND’S BACK, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, DEATH BECOMES HER, NIGHT OF THE COMET, FIDO, AMERICAN ZOMBIE, and countless others.

When ZOMBIELAND was announced it was reminiscent to the successful UK film SHAUN OF THE DEAD (which coined the term “zomcom”) even though the filmmakers claimed in numerous interviews (from FANGORIA to RUE MORGUE magazine and beyond) that they were trying not to make a film in which characters throw records at zombies. The trailers for the film are actually a testament to the brilliant marketing plan for the film as it describes a fun and entertaining horror comedy. And the final result is all that and a bag a popcorn…but that’s all that it is.

I applaud the editor and the opening credits team for creating one of the best credit sequences since the one crafted for S7VEN or FIGHT CLUB but the problem is that the trailer was everything in the opening credits. That’s a little disconcerting considering it gives the impression that there will be zombie-madness and mayhem throughout the film. This is not the case.

For the first half of the film the filmmakers do a great job crafting a “road trip” film as we get to meet all the characters. The flashbacks for both the Woody Harrelson and Jessie Eisenberg’s characters do a great job in introducing how they ended up in the place that they are when the film begins but the two female characters’ flashback is nothing more than an incident in which we learn that they are con artists and at which case can take place at any time prior to the US becoming The United States of Zombieland. This is a great disservice to these characters especially when all the other scenes prior already show the audience that these two women are very cunning and smart. What was needed was a scene similar to that given to the other characters which is a flashback in which defines their reaction to the zombie plague.

The second half of the film is where everything falls apart. Most great road movies are all about the journey to the location but in this film when they get there they decide to go to “BM’s” house for rest and relaxation before going to the theme part where zombies have not over run. The concept for the film about of group of people coming together to find a place where zombies have not invaded is a brilliant concept. It’s one explored by Romero himself not only in his DAWN OF THE DEAD and DAY OF THE DEAD films (among others), but neither of those are in the “road trip” style of film (although DAWN starts off that way but spends most of the film at the mall). ZOMBIELAND was born to be a road trip film and while the characters are on the road it is a great film but the emergence of the “BM” characters destroys the momentum of the film to a dead stop (pun intended). The film then becomes a drab character film which doesn’t do much for the main characters other then suggest the fanboy appeal of the filmmakers to “BM.” The scene goes on for far too long and it just drags the movie (which is surprising since the running time is only 80 minutes).

And then for no good reason the two females (who displayed more common sense then the men throughout the rest of the film) go off on their own adventure to find the theme park by themselves in the middle of the night. These two females then persist in turning on every ride and light in the building as if they were ringing a dinner bell for the zombies. This is surprising since this tactic is used not once but twice earlier in the film as a means to “call” the zombies from their hiding place. This all goes contrary to how the females have been envisioned thus far. They go from cunning and smart at the beginning of the film to making every dumb decision a person can make by the end just so that Eisenberg’s character has someone to save at the end of the film and Harrelson has a bunch of zombies to kill.

The ending of the film has many great death scenes but by having his females “de-evolve” by the end of the film it does everyone a great disservice and cheapens the film as a whole by allowing it to become nothing more than a “fun” and “entertaining” film. It’s clear that the filmmakers are fans of the horror and zombie genres with their homage to everything from Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD, JACK BROOKS: MONSTER SLAYER (Harrelson makes for a great Jack Brooks), SHAUN OF THE DEAD, and numerous others but what ZOMBIELAND doesn’t have that those films do is a great screenplay with smart characters that are not only fun and entertaining but great films as well. ZOMBIELAND makes no excuses for being simply an entertaining joy ride but let’s face it, it’s neither original nor the best of what the genre has to offer so we shouldn’t look at it like it is.

Many of the people whom I’m talked with about the film do not watch many zombie films nor horror films at all for that matter and many have told me that they wouldn’t have seen it if it wasn’t marketed as a comedy (kudos to the marketing department), so, in their eyes it delivers the goods and let’s face it, the majority of movie goers don’t go to watch “good” movies at the theater, they go to be entertained and if there is one thing ZOMBIELAND does do well it is to entertain despite its many flaws.

Will ZOMBIELAND be a part of my “Best Of” list? – No, it will not as there are plenty of better films out there from all over the world but will I dismiss the film in its entirety? That depends upon how good the next zomcom is which I’m sure is right around the corner (or at least the sequel to this film) and how soon this one evaporates from memory in the meantime.

Film Review: TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

2009-09-03T07:09:00.001-07:00

Let me just first say that the first Transformers I cared nothing for. It was a film with great special effects and action scenes but that was about it. It had stupid child humor and some of the most ridiculous comedic films of any Michael Bay film and I’ve seen all of his films. This being sad, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is better, but still not a very good film.

I could try to explain the story and plot of the film but why bother, no one cares about that any ways. They only care about the action, which I must say is a vast improvement over the previous film. I found myself engaged in the action scenes of the film. The battle scenes were slowed down and I could actually see what was going on (I’m not one of those action film junkies that need a cut or a close up every 2 seconds). The other thing is that the main Autobot Optimus Prime actually had a story behind him (even though none of the other transformers I could care less about).

Director Bay obviously thought hard about what was needed to improve the franchise as this is by far a better film then the first (despite the over convoluted background story) and the few problems I have with this film (mainly that the transformers are still nothing more then background fodder for Shia LeBeouf’s Sam character when the film is called “Transformers” and not “Sam Witwicky & The Transformers.” I’m nitpicking here as I am a fan of the ‘80s cartoon rather then any of the modern cartoon series of which these films are modeled after, so, I can’t complain too much.

Another great thing about the film is that the special effects have come a long way since the first film as the transformations are more defined and interesting to watch whereas in the previous film they came off as a blur many times. With the rate at which Bay is improving the ways in which these films are made by the next film I should actually be able to say that I like the film.

Film Review: A PERFECT GETAWAY

2009-09-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

After the heavy science fiction films The Arrival, Pitch Black, and The Chronicles of Riddick, writer & director David Twohy has decided to take it a little easy with his new suspense thriller A PERFECT GETAWAY. Although this film may look like another vacation in paradise that goes to hell, Twohy has decided to go a different route with his film. The structure for the film is very different from his usual film as it follows three couples on vacation in Hawaii who soon learn that a young couple just married were recently murdered and that the murders are still at large. What follows is a tense psychological journey as the couples interact with one another and soon think that the other is the murderers.

A PERFECT GETAWAY is anything but that. Twohy takes his time with allowing the audience to meet all three of the couples and how they interact with one another. His screenplay is very tight and walks a fine line of being a suspense thriller verses being a top notch mystery thriller. This is made even more apparent by the better then expected performances from the cast (which includes Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, and Kiele Sanchez, to name a few) whom all are playing against type adding to the mystery surrounding the film.

Twohy proves with this film that he is just at home with a suspense thriller as he is with science fiction and that his psychological ghost story Below wasn’t just a fluke.

Film Review: THE COLLECTOR

2009-09-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

The is a lot that can be said from horror film which are a relentless roller coaster ride from start to finish and this new (and I hate to say this) torture porn film THE COLLECTOR (2009) is a perfect example as one. There are many people who despise this sub-genre of horror film believing it to be nothing more then an excuse to show extraneous gore and nudity. Let me be the first to say that this film, at least, has no nudity.

THE COLLECTOR is in the genre of film that includes such films as High Tension, P2, Saw, Captivity, Hostel, and countless others. It is also a very dark film about desperation. The film is about a handy man Arken (Josh Stewart), a man who struggles to pay his bills and support his family and whose estranged wife is in trouble with her loan shark. In order to pay off the debt, he decides to rob the people whose house he just finished doing work on, while they are away on vacation. Arken has some unique skills as he is a safe cracker who knows the house has a walled in safe just ripe for the picking.

That night when he believes they are gone, Arken breaks into his employers house and realizes that he isn’t alone in the house. He discovers that a deranged killer has captured the residents of the house and is holding them hostage inside a house he has booby trapped with deadly traps. Now Arken must find a way out of the house because once you enter no one leaves…and least not alive.

Written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan this film has the tone of a Saw film which isn’t surprising since they are behind the latest Saw films (Parts 4-6, with a 7 on the way) but where this film differs from those films is in the fact that the traps in the house were never intended for him as he soon learns that this killer is searching for a worthy addition to his collection of living humans. Making his directorial debut, Dunstan’s tone for the film is very similar to the ‘80s renaissance of horror films reaching the big screen (i.e. Rob Zombie’s Halloween, Friday the 13th, The Hills Have Eyes, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, to name a few) except that there are no stars in this film. This is a great ploy as the audience never knows who is going to die or when.

Dunstan put together a great team behind the camera as the production design of the house itself is some of the best seen in quite some time and the cinematography is ahead of most of the horror films I’ve seen this year(and I’ve seen almost all of them). This film truly is suspenseful and has a lot of moments that will have you squirming in your seats. A surprise in this film is complete lack of comedy or black humor in this film which has become customary to Melton and Dunstan’s films (which can be seen in the Saw franchise not to mention the Feast films, which got them noticed). Because of the lack of humor this film may be a little too much for some audience members but I for one welcomed a horror film that wasn’t afraid to be too serious like a lot of our foreign counterparts behind the films Inside, Frontiere(s), and Martyrs.
Be prepared and be scared of The Collector.

Graphic Novel Review: THE DYLAN DOG CASE FILES

2009-08-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

THE DYLAN DOG CASE FILES

Dark Horse Books collection of the Itlaian Dylan Dog comics THE DYLAN DOG CASE FILES is a great introduction for people who are not familiar with the character. In 1994 there was an Italian film based on the character starring Rupert Everett called Dellamorte Dellamore (more commonly known as Cemetery Man) which became an International success and helped Everett become a star. Created by Tiziano Sclavi (with art by Angelo Stano, Andrea Venturi, Giampiero Casertano, Luigi Piccatto, and Bruno Brindisi) Dylan Dog is a womanizer who investigates strange and unusual cases that revolve around everything from zombies, monsters, freaks, vampires, and anything else that he stumbles upon. Much like Sherlock Holmes, Dog has a knack for both getting into trouble both with and without his trusted sidekick Felix, whose even stranger then Dog and whom provides most of the comic relief in the stories provided in this collection.

At an amazing 680 pages this is a huge collection to sink your teeth into both for mystery fans and horror fans. Unlike the film version, the stories contained within this collection are more focused on dark comedy and the unusual fantasy (although the film is filled with a lot of fantasy). Anyone watching the film will see very little resemblance to the graphic novel other then in the character itself which is fine since the stories contained in this collection are more entertaining then the film (and I really like the film). Dog comes off as a poor man’s James Bond mixed with a Sherlock Holmes who cares more about women then he does about solving the next case or paying the bills. This is not to say that the material isn’t dark because the stories “Dawn of the Living Dead” and “Morgana” are particularly dark while “Johnny Freak” is tragic and heartfelt. “Zed” is another standout as it deals with an alternate world that may or may not be better then our own as. Along the way Dog discovers many different loves (hince the Bond reference) and has many brushes with the law, whom don’t take him seriously half the time.
Another great aspect of the book is the fine black & white artwork, which is a compliment to the dark nature of the stories. It’s like reading a film noire (which the tone of many of the stories border upon). This collection for the first time allows many readers to finally have access to a comic which has sold over 56 million copies worldwide and since there is a Hollywood adaptation in the works (as of this writing) what better place then here to get acquainted with this detective then right now.

Graphic Novel Review: MARVEL ZOMBIES 3

2009-08-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

MARVEL ZOMBIES 3

The zombies of the Marvel Universe are back again but this time they have found a way into our universe and plan to take over in a very big way. I’ve written about all the previous instalments of the series, but it is here in the new story MARVEL ZOMBIES 3 that the story starts to take a new turn. Under the guidance of new writer Fred Van Lente and artist Kev Walker a small band of zombified super heroes lead by zombie-Deadpool have invaded the swamps of Citrusville, Florida prompting the military unit known as A.R.M.O.R. to send Machine Man and Jocasta to the zombies alternate home world to find a cure for the zombie plague so that the “real” Marvel Universe does not become infected by the zombie plague.

That’s generally what this new story is about. If you’ve read the previous stories in the saga you’ll know that these series have lots of violence and lots of blood. It is a zombie story after all, but unlike previous instalments more story is spent on the Machine Man story as he is a borderline drunk robot who wants nothing to do with humanity. There is lots of great action as Machine Man tears through the zombies as if they were nothing, but there in lies one of the problems of this story – Machine Man is indestructable and thus becomes an odd choice as the main character of the story. The more interesting aspect of the story revolves around Doctor Mobius (the Living Vampire) who is held captive at A.R.M.O.R. by his zombie doppleganger, who wants to secretly infect the Marvel Universe with the plague.

Much of the Zombie-Marvel Heroes carnage is absent from this story although Zombie Deadpool, Kingpin, Mobius, and Captain America, do have their moments to shine. This story just comes off lite considering everything that came before it. This and the fact that this story is just a bridging story for the next story in the series makes this a less interesting instalment on the whole, but it’s fun and crazy and good zombie-fun which should keep anyone entertained.
Although this series was lite I am looking forward to the next series as it reunites the Midnight Suns characters which haven’t been seen in quite some time and were hinted at early in this series with a guest appearance by Man-Thing (one of the Marvel Universe’s most under used characters in my opinion). This is a graphic novel that fans of the series will like but not altogether love.

Graphic Novel Review: SAVAGE

2009-08-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

SAVAGE

From creator Jeff Frank comes a new horror saga in called SAVAGE. Frank co-plotted this story with Steve Niles (one of the creators behind the phenomenal hit 30 Days of Night) and co-wrote this story with Dan Wickline. SAVAGE concerns Sam, a man with a deep urge and secret that compells him to kill people he deems “evil.” You see, Sam is a hunted of all manner of monsters that prey on the human species. In the beginning of the story we see Sam savagely kill a banshee by cutting off her head (he then carries the head around with him throughout the rest of the series). Once completely that mission Sam then heads towards Arcana, a place he has visited in the past but is now here on a recruitment mission.

Sam is in the town no longer then ten minutes before he begins to once agin sense evil and the urge to kill begins to surface. Sam has come to Arcana to inlist Peter, a family man with a wife and kid, to help him fight the evil of the world. You see, Sam is a shapeshifter who can change into a “bigfoot-like” creature and the evil he senses in Arcana is of the werewolf kind, which have taken up residence in town and kill whenever the moon is at its fullest. As Sam waits for the moon to be full and the werewolves to reveal their true nature, he tries to hold off his killer urges by selectively killing off the werewolves one by one until the killings raise the suspicions of the covert military group Sam is working for. Now time is running out as Sam realizes he has very little time to show Peter his true nature and how to use his own shapeshifting abilities to not only hunt down evil but to protect his family from those who would see them harmed.

Although not one of my favorite graphic novels as the story is very simple and direct and leaves much to be desired since this would be the first chapter of a much larger story, SAVAGE isn’t terrible bad as the werewolves verses bigfoot idea is very interesting. I do like the fact that the story spends a lot of time developing the Sam and peter characters but the werewolves come off a cliched characters with very little interest. It will be interesting to see where this story goes in subsequent chapters.

Graphic Novel review: EPILOGUE

2009-08-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

EPILOGUE

Creator Steve Niles has a new vision of vampires different from the ones he created in the 30 Days of Night series in this graphic novel EPILOGUE, with art by Kyle Hotz. There is a new vigilante on the streets of the city and he cannot be killed as he so boldly demonstrates when he gathers all the crime lords of the city in one place. When the crime lords try to blow him to pieces they realize that all of his wounds heal automatically and he is more vicious then them as he feasts on their blood. This vigilante has plans to clean up the city at all costs. He is a vampire and he feeds off the blood of the guilty

The story as written by Niles and illustrated by Hotz is at first cryptic with the revealing of who the vigilante is but through fashbacks we learn that he was a family man on a camping trip who watched his two kids and wife be slaughtered by a gang of vampires . He was bitten in the struggle and left for dead and barely found a way to survive in the wild. When he returns to the city he vows to find the ones responsible for the death of his family and for making him into a creature of the night. In the meanwhile, he will protect the innocent and kill anyone who gets in his way.

One of the most unique aspects of the book is that you never really know what this guy’s name is but you get a glimpse into who he was and what he has become through the flashbacks and by the end of the story it’s not important what his name is but what he stands for. Like many of Niles’ previous work this is but an opening chapter to a bigger story should he choose to go further with the material. This being a story about vampires there are buckets of blood and gutts all over the place and will make all of Niles’ fans happen who enjoyed his 30 Days of Night.

Opinions Do Mater

2009-07-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's amazing to me how much we as a film & television culture have an opinion about everything and believe that our opinion is somehow morevalid then everyone else's. Before the immersion of film into our culture opinions were religated to the elite few who had studied such works of arts as music, art, and architecture, to name a few. Sure the general public had a "public opinion" but it was never really taken that serious by the upper echilon of society. In fact, there are few instances in history where public opinion ever really mattered when it came to the creative arts.

Then came film. In it's earliest form it was crude and looked down upon by the upper class yet found a home in the poor lower class of vaudville and carnivals as a novelty act. The first few films were experiements that lasted no longer then a few seconds long yet captured the imagination of those who had never been subject to such great spectacle. When filmmaking techniques were honed and perfected (by then times) films became longer and instead of relyng mainly on real life events for entertainment sinereos and stories and plots were crafted and films became longer and the lower classes came in the bus loads to see the amazing moving pictures. The upper class still looked down upon the "novelty act" yet in the privacy of their own homes they became enamored with the "moving picture" as it became one of the newest and fastest speading forms of entertainment in the world.

The funny thing about the moving image is that it was not confined to only one area but people all across the world were developing their own version of the film camera, some successful while others still needed a little tweaking, but nevertheless the "moving picture" was here to stay and it would continue to amass a great following not only in the lower and middle class but soon in the upper class as well and that's when theaters began to pop up. There needed to be a place where all people of all classes could go to watch these moving pictures and the moving pictures thus needed to be longer then just 2-3 minutes. They soon began to be feature length films (at the time) ranging in length up to an hour in many cases.

With the wide spread epidemic that moving pictures became so to did the opinions come to rise. There were (and still are) many publications about films (because films had to travel from town to town at the time instead of being screened via day and date like today) to get the word out when a particular film would be in any given state and with this mass production and distribution of films so rose the "star" and the "star system."

Although I could go into details about this I will only briefly mention the fact that the star system was created through audiences' reaction to certain characters and actors that they liked to see on the screen. This helped early filmmakers decide not only who to put in their films but what type of films to make (in order to get the most buck out of the bang), so, public opinion has always determined the general evolution of the moving pictures (aka motion picture).

Taking this into account you can now see how modern day audiences' opinions matter more then any pofessionally school educated critic. Real critiques don't get people's buns in seats but public opinion does. When a film has good word of mouth it can do extremely well at the Box Office (i.e. THE HANGOVER, UP, or TAKEN) whereas all the great praise in the world can't make people go see a film (i.e. DOUBT, DUPLICITY, or THE READER). We live in a world where everyone (at least in terms of film) has an opinion and their opinion counts for something if not at least can translate into big Box Office grosses.

We may not like it but that's the reality of the world. Long gone is our reliance and dependence on the arthouse critic who has spent a lifetime dedicating oneself to the "art" for art's sake. We, as an audience, know what we want and know what we like whether it be Rob Zombie's HALLOWWEN remake, THE HANGOVER, MONSTERS Vs. ALIENS, or the latest film with Ashton Kurcher.

Indie Film Review: PAPER BOYS (2009)

2009-06-24T18:28:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I dislike reviewing indie films because I tend to screen earlier versions prior to a released version which has had the luxury of a test screening that would then constitute re-shoots and/or extensive editing. I say this in good faith as many films that I’ve screened could do with some trimming of the fat in order to get to the heart of the story being told.

This could go with the Aware Production release of PAPER BOYS (formerly BOYS OF THE WRECKING CREW), which was filmed in Georgia and had its World Premiere at the famous Plaza Theater, 1049 Ponce De Leon Ave., Atlanta, GA on Saturday, June 20th, 2009. There are some good things to say about the film and some bad but I give indie films a little more leeway (from Hollywood films) because of their unique nature of sometimes reveling in more risqué and unconventional stories. This is such a film.

The film begins with a subtle bang as after a young couple appear to be in the throws of love the woman commits suicide and the young man Sean is left broken. Sean’s (Louis Lavdas) way of dealing with the situation is to return to his job as a paper boy solicitor who goes door-to-door selling newspaper subscriptions. He is just one of a crew of young men guided by Ray (Chris Whitley) who try to make a living at this day in and day out. Sean has more to deal with then just a lover who killed herself but he also is haunted by his estranged relationship with his abusive father, he’s addicted to just about every drug known to mankind, and he’s having a sexual identity crisis. That’s a lot for one person to deal with and therein lies the biggest problem with the film.

The film has many technical issues as in many shots that linger on the screen for far longer then they should – one scene in particular is a POV shot of Sean in a drug induced state walking through a house in which he just participated in an orgy, not to mention that several shots are handheld and pan from one actor to another with no finesse or control and sometimes it’s even on background characters who aren’t even participating in the conversation at hand. Many of these incidents could be fixed if they were trimmed or cut altogether.

Technical issues aside (since many indie films suffer from this) I do have to say that the post-sound is excellent for the most part. There are very few incidents where the volume and quality were not at top form. Since sound is one of the biggest problems with indie productions it’s good to hear that the filmmakers took care with the post-sound work on this film.

Getting back to the plot of the film, PAPER BOYS suffers from trying to say too much with so little. Sean’s plight as an abused kid with a dead-in job that only helps to fuel his drug habit because his girlfriend killed herself and he’s not sure whether he’s gay or straight just makes it seem like the entire world is against him and he should just go ahead and join his girlfriend in a suicide pact. The story is best when it focuses on Sean’s inability to cope with the childhood abuse done to him by his father heavily handled in many of the flashback sequences (some of which are the most compelling in the film). If the film had stuck with this as it’s background and conflict and then handled Sean’s inability to cope through either drug abuse of sexual identity then the film’s theme might have come off stronger but the issues are defused because no time is given to any one of Sean’s problems. He just seems to be a kid with too many problems. This inability in the film’s focus also contributes to its lackluster and unsatisfactory ending (which I won’t give away here) but needless to say the film’s climax is all too easily solved and there is no satisfying closure with Sean’s character in terms of any of the problems that the film presents that he has. They just all seem to nicely go away.

The film’s climax is the real let down as it opts for a “feel good” ending that is not warranted due to everything that came before it not to mention that it is 15 minutes too long. The film wants to say so many things about sexual identity, drug abuse, physical abuse, and even suicide yet never really says anything about any of them as the message is lost in translation amongst the film’s other problems and the “happy ending.”

The film does have some questionable performances amongst its huge cast of Georgia actors but there are some great moments with Joe (Justin Riddick), who steals many of the scenes in the film with his womanizing ways and picture-perfect life (not mention lifestyle) but Whitley as Sean’s crew leader of the paper boys and in a sense “older brother” also gives a noteworthy performance.

Writer, producer, and director Bryan E. Hall has a great many cast and location to contend with on this film, which is good for the film as he doesn’t rely on the single location film shoot that can plague many an indie film. There are many great comedic moments in the film that release some of the tension from the heavy-handed subject matter (and sometimes I wish there was more). Overall PAPER BOYS is a film that’s sometimes over convoluted with what its trying to say that needs a little trimming and cutting in some places but it’s not a film completely devoid of any redeeming value.

Book Review: TALES FROM THE CRYPT: THE OFFICIAL ARCHIVES By Digby Diehl

2009-06-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

Author Digby Diehl’s book Tales From the Crypt: The Official Archives is one of the most comprehensive books on the history of EC Comics and their downfall to the creation of the cult HBO television show Tales From the Crypt, which ran for seven seasons. Diehl’s book starts by giving the reader a background of the EC publishers and how their comics opened the world and the industry to a different kind of comic from the Famous Funnies and Popular Comics titles of the ‘30s and ‘40s to when William “Bill” Gaines inherited the company and started producing what would eventually become the infamous Tales From The Crypt, Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, and Weird Science titles (to name a few), in which Gaines and his company of dedicated artists produced some of the most strikingly original and grotesque comics and stories to ever be committed to page. With the popularity of these comics to pre-teens everywhere came the backlash of parents and religious groups all across America. The book traces this history and causes of what brought down the Gaines Empire and EC Comics eventually leading up to the creation of both the British feature films Tales From the Crypt (1972) and The Vault of Horror (1973) and eventually to the American television series Tales From the Crypt (1989-1996).

The book goes into great detail about the creation of the HBO produced television show and how close it honored the source material (all 93 episodes were based on a story from one of the EC comics titles). The book also gives a complete television guide to the series not to mention it highlights the inspiration for every episode. Diehl’s book not only is a library of information but he has extensive interviews with many of the artists involved with the original comics not to mention the people behind the television series giving the book everything a reader needs to know about history of EC Comics and the television series.

An added bonus to the book is the abundance of photos and artwork throughout not to mention that four complete stories from the comics are reprinted with the inclusion of a never before published story hidden away in the EC Vaults that never made it to the printed page. Diehl’s book is a book for any fan of the EC Comics world as well as those who just want to know a little bit of history about one of the greatest (and infamous) publishing companies in the business.

Book Review: THE WILD TREES By Richard Preston

2009-06-24T18:21:00.000-07:00

Few books make me want to spring into action after reading them like Richard Preston’s non-fiction book The Wild Trees, which is the account of several botanists and scientists who spend their lives studying the life of some of the tallest trees in the world. Although not exclusively about the tree climbing specialist who climb trees in excess of 350 feet tall to study the canopy of some of the tallest organisms on the planet which is the redwood tree (among many others featured in the book), Preston weaves the stories of several of these scientists whose worlds and lives collide through time and different locations all across the globe to give not only a comprehensive look at the lives of these dedicated (and sometimes under paid) scientists but the worlds that they discover that have never been seen by any human being. Preston presents these people as the true adventurers exploring the strange new worlds right in our own back yards.

As Preston’s own exploration of these dedicated individuals grows deeper, he becomes not just a chronicler of their stories but a willing participant who soon finds his way as one of the team members of tree climbers. This is a far cry from his previous non-fiction books The Hot Zone and The Demon in the Freezer (where he is far removed) revealing a more personal journey in the process. In addition to the wonderful stories of his subjects (especially the couple that get married 350 feet in the air in the canopy of one of the great redwoods) there are extensive drawings and sketches of what the world of some of these trees are really like (since the location to many of these greatest discoveries remain a guarded secret from the greater public who would destroy the natural habitat of such great organisms of nature).

The Wild Trees is one of Preston’s most personal works that not only gets into the lives of its subjects following them over years of discoveries and history but it also gives an inside look into the man whose life was forever changed by the experience especially when you consider that the joy of tree climbing has infected several of his children (although he makes great mention that the sport is not for his wife). This is an adventure that we all want to make after reading the book.

Book Review: SOMETHING LIKE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY By Akira Kurosawa

2009-06-20T04:26:00.000-07:00

Few books seem to be actually written by the author like this book does (because so many of them are ghost written). Akira Kurosawa is one of the most respected directors in cinema and his book Something Like an Autobiography is less about his techniques in filmmaking and more about what incidents shaped his life and helped him craft the stories that he’s told through film for so many years.

His stories (which is the best way to describe them because of the way in which he recollects his life) are told in such a way that they could be fables about how his decisions not only as a human being but as a filmmaker are discovered. Kurosawa has a very whimsical way of describing his life which is at times extremely funny and humorous but is also very moving and tragic especially in terms of how real life events shaped the way he saw the world and thus translated what he saw in film.

Many times he ventures away from filmmaking to describe his family life and childhood and these seem to be the more interesting aspects of the book as his recollections of his filmmaking experiences (especially in the later years) do not seem as fanciful. It’s a wonder he even got into filmmaking as it was by chance but Kurosawa has a way of telling the story of his life that reminds you of a film and that is where the heart of his book truly lies.

He is so vivid with details about people and experiences about his life and experiences that you feel like you’re in a dream world and everything is like in a movie that you just can’t help but to glue your eyes to. Kurosawa’s book is an excellent example of an autobiography that’s told by one of the greatest visionaries that cinema has ever known.

Book Review: BORRIS KARLOFF: THE MAN REMEMBERED By Gordon B. Shriver

2009-06-20T04:21:00.000-07:00

I’m a huge fan of the highly regarded character actor Borris Karloff whom most people will remember played the immortal character of Frankenstein’s monster in the James Whale directed film Frankenstein (1931) but I remember him most from another Whale’s film The Old Dark House (1932) and Scarface (1932), which are both two of my all time favorite films. In writer Gordon B. Shiver’s book Borris Karloff: The Man Remembered we get a look at who the man – Karloff, really was through some of the stories told about him and from conversations recalled by the people who met and worked with him.

Shriver’s book is a very basic account of Karloff’s life not only in films but in radio, commercials voice over, and just about anything else that he could get his hands on. Karloff is described in the book as a very soft spoken person whom people loved to work with and was well liked by everyone. If there was anything disheartening about the man it’s that he over worked himself up until the day that he died but working on films no mater how great or how small was the greatest joy that the man ever felt.

Although Shriver has a very dry way of putting down the life of Karloff it is befitting a man that was so well admired and respected among his peers even though the industry itself was not always kind to him. Karloff starred in every known type of film and genre but was always known as the man who played Frankenstein’s monster and thus never escaped that image which marked his career even though he starred in such films as The Strange Door (1951), Black Sabbath (1964), and most importantly Targets (1968).

Although the book is short it is concise and to the point and a very easy read for those who know little about the man and just are curious. For those who know much about the man already, the book may seem a little repetitive and mundane but the book is filled with 15 pages of photos throughout his career and has an extensive list of all the projects and productions that Karloff was ever involved it. This alone is worth picking up the book.

FIGHTING Can Be Good For You

2009-06-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

It’s easy to dismiss this by-the-books action film Fighting but then you’ll miss one of the more fun and entertaining films of the year. Starring Channing Tatum as Shawn MacArthur, a down on his luck street urchin, just trying to survive from day to day. When Shawn gets into a street brawl with several thugs a street hustler by the name of Harvey Bourden (Terrence Howard) sees potential in the young man.

Harvey’s idea of potential though is underground street fighting, which he has connections to. He sees in Shawn the opportunity to make some money and get back on top after being disgraced many years ago (since everyone seems to look down on him). After several lucky wins on the underground circuit, Shawn has the opportunity not only to make a lot of money but to redeem himself when he must fight an old acquaintance in his final battle.

This film is very much in the vein of the Cuba Gooding Jr. & James Marshall Gladiator (1992) and like that film the fun of the film is watching at times real and brutal fights. This is far different from the over choreographed Jason Statham films and the over reliance of CGI in the more recent X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which is why the film is such a pleasure to watch.

One of the worst things about most Hollywood films of today is that they feel over-produced and you never feel like the characters are ever in any real danger. This is not the case here as Shawn barely makes it out of his fights winning some simply by luck. Street fighting hurts and you feel bones crack in this film. Writers Robert Munic and Dito Montiel (who also directs) do an excellent job with the film in terms of presenting a gritty look at the under belly of the city. The story itself may be simple and straight forward but life for these characters is anything but.

ADVENTURELAND is in the Blood

2009-06-13T08:28:00.001-07:00

This film first interested me because I worked at a theme park myself so I had an inherent need to see how accurate to theme park life the film actually is. Adventureland is an interesting mix of drama and understated comedy in a coming of age story about James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) who is forced to take a summer job in order to pay for his college education. James represents the ideal “virgin” who has a lot of naïve ideas about love and relationships who comes to learn about living real life through his experiences with the people he works with at the theme park none more then Em (Kristin Stewart), whom he slowly falls in love with.

Written & directed by Greg Mottola (who directed Superbad) this new film is a mixed bag as it has the same charm of his previous film but falls short in the comedy department as it stirs closer to the dramatic category, which may turn away some audiences looking for another Superbad. The film is peppered with a great supporting cast including Ryan Reynolds as Mike Connell, a former musician who works as a repair man at the park and dreams of the halcyon days of his former glory. Reynolds is channeling Monty from his film Waiting in this film and is a boon for those who liked that film.

After the over publicized Twilight, Stewart shows more range in this film as a woman who finds herself numb to true love and living a lie at a dead in job with no means of escape until James enters her life.

The film has its charm and for people like me (who spent some time of their life at a theme park) it’s nostalgic and bitter sweet at its core (despite its flaws).

Is STAR TREK the Best Summer Movie of 2009?

2009-06-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

I’m not a “Trekkie” and I’ve only seen a handful of the various television series (I’ve not even seen that many of the original Star Trek series) but I’ve seen all the films and am very familiar with the characters through the movies. Being a little bit fed up with the whole remake/reboot and sequel mentality of Hollywood’s current brain-trust, I was not interested in this new Star Trek film. In fact, the only reason why I even bothered to go see it was because J.J. Abrams was directing and Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman were writing and these are the people behind the exceptional television shows Alias, Lost, and now Fringe. The movie had such great talent behind it that I couldn’t pass it up even if I wanted to. I’m so glad I didn’t as Star Trek has thus far been the best film of the summer season.

Prequels, in my opinion, rarely work and can destroy a franchise by claiming to go back to the beginning to explain how certain characters became who they are. Star Trek is no different as it takes our familiar crew of the Starship Enterprise back to the days of Starfleet Academy where many of them first met. Having learned most of this info from the original television and the films you’d think that there would be no where for the new film to go but Abrams and crew have crafted a familiar story that’s retold through a past that is changed when Romulans from the future journey back in time to change the past and thus their own future.

Now the whole time traveling thing has been done numerous times in the television show not to mention several of the big screen movies, so, using the same device in the new film felt a little like cheating at first but Orci and Kurtzman decide not to dwell on this device too long but instead focuses on its effect on the past (the present of the film).

I could go into more details about the plot but frankly its better if you watch it yourself as Star Trek is the best of all the Star Trek films thus far produced as it is not only a great sci-fi film but a great dramatic film as well with the peppered humor of Abrams Alias and Felicity through in for good measure. The other thing is that audiences of all ages and people who don’t even like sci-fi will enjoy this film. This cannot be said for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, which is now the second best film in the franchise (this film is liked by Trekkies the most). Before this new film general audiences only connected with the Erath friendly Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (which also relied on time travel) but this film has dated the most over the years of all the films.

Abrams cast is point on perfect at the iconic original crew of the Enterprise and all the characters get their moment to shine in this film (whereas in the later films the supporting characters became mere background characters at times). Abrams and crew should be commended in changing my views on remakes/reboots because up until this film I was willing to give up all hope on a summer with an actual good film.

I'm Seeing ANGELS & DEMONS! Please help Me!

2009-06-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

I’ve never read a Dan Brown book and I didn’t really care all that much for The Da Vinci Code but it was entertaining and I generally like Tom Hanks, whom I can always trust when it comes to films (he can make a mediocre film watchable which is why I saw The Da Vinci Code). The only reason why I bothered with Angels & Demons was because Hanks was in it and I tend to give more credit to a film if it has Ewan McGregor in it since I think (like Hanks) this is an actor who can do just about any genre of film.

I have to say that I enjoyed Angels & Demons a whole hell of a lot more then The Da Vinci Code. Although both films move at a break neck pace Angels & Demons has streamlined the film to make it more accessible to mainstream audiences. This could have been disastrous but in Hanks and director Ron Howard’s hands the film has a great energy that the film lacked (and in my opinion slowed it down). This film also has more interesting supporting characters and a story that is neither clean cut nor too overly complication (unlike its predecessor which got convoluted in its own terminology and far too many occasions).

Unlike The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons is a fun and entertaining summer film with just the hint of a great murder mystery behind it which bolds well with its box office future.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE a Waste of Time

2009-05-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

Let me first say that growing up in the '80s & '90s I read a lot of comics one of which was The X-Men from Marvel so I'd like to think I know a lot about the characters. I know that sometime at the end of the '90s and '00s Marvel's brains were scrambled and they decided to re-boot their comics (most of which from what I've heard was a disaster but some did stick).

I love comic book films of which BLADE, SPIDER-MAN, SPIDER-MAN 2, HELLBOY & HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY are among the best recent examples. If you notice none of the X-Men films are included on this list and that is for good reason as none of the films are all that good (although I do consider X2: X-MEN UNITED the best). The only reason why any of the films suceeded is because of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Ian McKellen as Magneto because the screenplays are pedestrian at best with no sense of what the X-Men truly were, which was a team of mutants who banded together in order to combat majot atrocities to their kind as well as humankind. Now the theme is present in all three films but the word "team" is lacking in all except the 2nd film (hince why I think it is the best). The first film is nothing more then a film about Wolverine and Rogue who just so happen to meet the X-Men (since no one in the team is given nearly as much screen time as Wolverine & Rogue nor as much of a story/plot). The 2nd film managed to have plenty of great subplots amongst the great action set pieces and actually tried to be a good and well rounded film and Wolverine didn't hog all the screen time (although Cyclops the leader of the X-Men is still under used). The 3rd film was a total mess as old characters from the first two films are killed or completely discarded to make room for all the new characters who were just on hand as popcorn eye candy. It was one big action film mess withy no redeemable qualities.

The same can be said of X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE which rewrites X-Men lore to suit whatever the filmmakers thought would be "cooler" in a story that's so uninspired that I almost fell asleep in the theatre. Fleshing out events already alluded to in X2 this new film tries to explain the origins of Wolverine which is the least interesting story to try and tell. With so much history to pull from with the Wolverine character the filmmakers decided to go with a story that pretty much told itself it the previous film. Let's not even mention the complete overhaul done on the Sabretooth character and the complete misuse of the Gambit character (another one of the X-Men's most popular characters who bares has a comeo in this film). The film comes off as nothing more than a marketing ploe to get butts in the seats with lots of things that go "boom" and "pow" and I for one never bought it.

The film is an uninspired mess of which I'm shocked that Jackman didn't have more input into (especially since they plan on making a trilogy of these films). I don't recommend this film to any one unless you ust love Jackman or just can't wait to see the film on video.

Seeing Robots Everywhere in TERMINATOR SALVATION

2009-05-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

Am I a TERMINATOR fan?

Having enjoyed both of the James Cameron films I delved into the continuation of the franchise in the four-colored world of comics first throw NOW comics original series TERMINATOR: THE BURNING EARTH and later through Dark Horse Comics who published various limited series based on the franchise (all fairly good although like most franchise tended to run out of steam towards the end of their run).

Then came TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES (2003) directed by newcomer Jonathan Mostow who did an excellent job small thriller BREAKDOWN (1997) and U-571 (2000) but T3 ended up an ill-fated mess only enjoyable to those who have never seen the first two films. This film had a bigger budget but no brains and ended up nothing more then a very good paycheck for the current Govenor of CA. Sorry to say that I no longer was a Terminator fan.

Then in 2008 TERMINATOR showed up on the small screen with THE SARAH CONNER CHRONICLES, a spin-off with a great cast but messed with the continuity of the franchise so much that I'm not sure that in even belongs in the TERMINATOR franchise or if it's just a bad dream (like what eventually happened with HALLOWEEN 4, 5, and 6 to that franchise). Although this show was cancelled after only two seasons it has its fans (because frankly the show wasn't that bad).

Now we have TERMINATOR SALVATION (2009) a film that tries to be a sequel while also trying to reboot the franchise (ala STAR TREK). I'm not going to say the film is great but it's a whole hell of a lot better then the previous film which is mainly because of the good writing and great cast on board. Whereas the 3rd film poked fun at itself on several occassions this film is a gritty war film that asks the question - in a world ruled by robots is humanity dead? After watching that 3rd film you'd think so but stars Christian Bale (as prophet of doom John Conner) and Sam Worthington are great foils for one another. It's tuff to play opposite rising star super giant Bale but newcomer Worthington does a great job of holding his own in the film which is a testament not only to his talent but also to the great screenplay by John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris.

It film not only has a gripping (and intellent) story behind it but it also has the action and excitement required of a summer popcorn film. I give great praise to director McG for putting together such a great team of experts (especially after the rumors of how hard he worked to get Bale interested in the film). Some people only see him as the guy who directed the CHARLES ANGELS films but I was willing to give him a chance (especially since Mostow - whom I like - screwed up the 3rd film).

My interest in the TERMINATOR franchise has been rekindled, for now, and I hope that they continue to do it right with any subsequent films.

Graphic Novel Review: FEDDY VS. JASON VS. ASH

2009-04-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

The most anticipated sequel to a horror film never made it to the big screen but instead was relegated to the four color world of comics. After the huge success of the film Freddy Vs. Jason there was takes about a sequel, the most talked about being the proposed Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash story that would combine the two kings of the slasher genre with that of the hero of The Evil Dead and Army of Darkness films. This never fully materialized (for various reasons) but the treatment for that proposed film was the outline for this six issue limited series that makes up the graphic novel. Published by Dynamite Entertainment and Wildstorm the story of Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash is one that every fan of any of the series would have loved to have seen as a film.

The story begins after the events in the Freddy Vs. Jason movie where Freddy finds himself trapped in the mind of Jason. Freddy’s only hope of getting out is through the help of the Necronomicon, The Book of the Dead which currently resides in the old Voorhees home (as witnessed in Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday). At this same time S-Mart is opening a new Super S-Mart on the former stomping grounds of Camp Crystal Lake and Ash is on hand to help the store get in shape before the grand opening. Ash, being the hunter of deadites that he is, believes that he is being lured there by the Book of the Dead for some nefarious reasons. It is not long before Ash encounters what’s left of some of Jason’s victims and he believes it is his destiny to rid the world of Jason (whom he thinks is a deadite). It doesn’t take long before Ash realizes that Jason is only the tool of a greater evil, Freddy, who with the Book of the Dead will be able to meld the dream world and the real world together so that he will have total reign. In true Army of Darkness fashion, Ash will blunder and kill anything and everything that gets in his way from destroying the Book of the Dead once and for all.

One of the reasons why this story works so well is the care with the story (Story by Jeff Katz & Script by James A. Kuhoric) and art (by Jason Craig) given to book which references all three film franchises both in terms of story and visuals. For The Evil Dead fans there are a lot of visual nods to The Evil Dead II, which just allow the comedy to flow. Surprisingly, Freddy is wisely not seen as the comic element in the story (although he does have his moments) but instead he is the grand mastermind behind an elaborate plot that’s more complex then anything seen in his films. Jason is given plenty of room to kill…well, just about everybody as this series has more blood flowing then any of the films (thank the heavens). This is definitely a Hard-R rated comic with plenty of surprises by the end.

Having only read a handful of the various comic book series based on these characters now being released by Dynamite Entertainment and Wildstorm it was a relief to know that I didn’t have to have read any of those series to enjoy this story. In fact, you don’t really need to have seen the film Freddy Vs. Jason as the series gives a quick recap of the events of the film for those readers just familiar with the characters.

This is one of the few books I think should have been made into a film but if all I have is this graphic novel then I’m not really going to complain any more.

Graphic Novel Review: ELFQUEST: THE DISCOVERY

2009-04-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

The Wendy & Richard Pini creation ElfQuest has been around for over 35 years in one form or another and with ElfQuest: The Discovery the two have crafted a story that’s true to the heart of creation while also bringing it up to date for new readers.

Having read the ElfQuest series sporadically I know all the main characters but didn’t know much about all the newer characters. The Pini’s have crafted a world overwhelmed with characters which are all distinct and three-dimensional whether they appear in one scene or two or more scenes in the story. All the main characters are here in The Discovery from Cutter, the leader of the Wolf Pack of elves, Skywise, Timmain, the last of the High Ones, and the newly found elves the Wavedancers. Since this story is concerned less with the original elves, The Discovery is more about Cutter’s son Sunstream who has fallen in love with Brill, a Wavedancer whose tribe has hidden away from the outside world due to the cruelty placed upon them by humans. Cutter, whose life long journey is to unite all the elf tribes, sees this as a great opportunity to unite one of their brethren regardless of the fears. Brill is put in an awkward position as she and the rest of the Wavedancers are forced into hiding by her tribe’s former leader Surge.

The story may sound complicated at first of the Pini’s do a great job with streamlining the main story about two tribes who must overcome their differences in order to become one. It’s a similar story to the one the Pini’s have been telling for years but it’s also the driving force behind what makes the ElfQuest stories so interesting to read and universal to everyone. Regardless of how many characters are introduced (and believe me there are a lot) newer readers shouldn’t be put off as this is a great story (however brief).

WATCHMEN - An Epic in the Making!

2009-04-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

Before viewing the epic comic book adaptation of Watchmen viewing must be aware of a few things before they can truly enjoy this film. First, is that director Zack Snyder has tried his best to present as faithful an adaptation to the material as he so well did with his last film 300, second - that this film was made for the fans of the graphic novel, three – that there are a lot of parallel stories and themes in the film (thus the almost 3 hour running time), and four – that this film is definitely not for children. If you understand these few things then you’re in for one of the best films of 2009.

Everyone who watches this film will compare it to last year’s mega-blockbuster The Dark Knight, but you must remember that The Dark Knight and the Batman franchise has over 35 years of stories to pull from not to mention all the television series, theatrical serials, and theatrical films, so, there is not a whole lot of originality when it comes to the Batman franchise. Instead, those films rely on the way they are presented and the assurance that all audiences no matter how great and wide know of the character in one form or another, whereas with Watchmen, it’s more of a cult and underground thing that’s been raped and pillaged over the years by other storytellers (just look at The Incredibles which is a watered-down version of this story made for children and families). Watchmen takes place in an alternate universe (i.e. V For Vendetta) that looks as if it is on the brink of World War III (which in the story it is). Needless to say, Watchmen is a film that many audiences just won’t be able to enjoy.

This is perfectly fine as it isn’t made for all audiences. I’m sure Snyder wants as many people to see his movie as possible but lets be honest, most audiences just aren’t going to want to think to enjoy the movie, which this film makes you do. The original 12 issue series by writer Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons was a complex history of an entire alternate world in which the murder of a former super hero sparks what can only be described as the events leading up to a possible World War III. There are multiple characters with multiple stories and flashbacks after flashbacks after flashbacks that left many readers needing to read the series several times just to be able to digest everything that the story had to offer. The film, with its running time of almost 3 hours, had a lot of ground to cover and Snyder does an excellent job of adapting the series to film and like his previous film 300 many of the images are lifted completely from the comic book itself.

I could go into details about the story but suffice it to say that no amount of words here will be able to give the film true justice. The film works on so many levels because of the dedication of not only Snyder but his cast and staff as well who try so hard to be faithful not only to the comic but to the vision of Moore and Gibbons’ creation. More then this alone is one reason why this film is such a vastly different animal then The Dark Knight.

The film has garnered lukewarm reviews but I see this film on par with that of the equally misunderstood sci-fi classic Blade Runner. That film was a box office disaster that could only be truly appreciated upon multiple viewings and I believe that with Watchmen the same thing can be said. Truth be known, I never finished reading the graphic novel and have thus gone back to it after having seen the film and I enjoy both equally well.

Neil Gaiman's Fairytale CORALINE Makes it to the Big Screen!

2009-04-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

It’s been eight years since the release of writer & director Henry Selick’s infamous film Monkeybone (2001), but he returns with great grace with the animated adaptation of writer Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. This 3D stop-motion CGI animated film is a wonder in modern day American animation and storytelling from beginning to end.

It’s hard to believe that the film version of the celebrated novel took so long since the film rights were grabbed up as soon as the book was published, but Selick (who got famous with his stop-motion film Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas) has a knack for dark and humorous children’s fables that audiences of all ages tend to enjoy, which makes the pairing of him and Gaiman’s material so natural.

The story is about Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who moves into a new house with her family who unwittingly finds a doorway into and alternate world that’s just like her own world except that the people who inhabit this world have buttons for eyes. Everything in this alternate world is infinitely better then in her own world but when the inhabitants of this alternate world refuse to let her return to her own world, Coraline must find a way back to her own world as well as find a way to lock the doorway between the worlds forever. Now there is more to the story then described here (infinitely more) but if you haven’t read the novel then its better to just watch the film for yourself for all the details.

Although I was unable to see the 3D version of the film, the 2D version is just as good and doesn’t loose anything in translation as the story is strong enough that it doesn’t have to rely on the 3D gimmick to sale itself. The film has a great voice cast with Teri Hatcher, Keith David, and Ian McShane as some of the standouts (although everyone doesn a fantastic job).This is truly one of the major highlights of 2009 whether animated or live action films.

Film Review: UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS

2009-04-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

The Underworld franchise is one of the most popular werewolf v. vampire films to ever grace the movie screens mostly because of their reliance on action over horror and of the star power of Kate Beckinsale but the latest film in the franchise Underworld: Rise of the Lycans does not have a return visit from Beckinsale because this film is a prequel to the previous films. Instead it relies on the returning cast members of Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Kevin Grevioux, and Steven Mackintosh, and newcomer Rhona Mitra, to tell the story that started the war between lycans and vampires.

Lucian (Sheen) is chief lycan to Viktor (Nighy) whose reign is being threatened by rogue lycans that lie just outside Viktor’s gates ready to kill anyone who gets in their way. Viktor’s daughter Sona (Mitra) is a warrior at heart but is also having a secret affair with Lucian. This love affair is forbidden as the two are from different species of which Viktor is stop at nothing to prevent the union from happening even if it means killing his own daughter. Now Lucian finds himself having to bring all lycans together as one unified species in order to be free of Viktor’s tyranny and to save the woman he loves. Along for the ride is Tannis (Mackintosh), who returns in this film after being introduced in the previous film Evolution, and Raze (Grevioux), one of the most popular lycans from the first film, whose origins are seen here.

Screenwriter Danny McBride returns for the third go around with assistance from writers Dirk Blackman & Howard McCain and it shows as this third film effortlessly returns audiences to the Underworld universe (and it ends with the events at the beginning of the first film). Nighy, who has been in all three films, is a welcomed assurance that this new film won’t just be a means to squeeze every dime out of the franchise.

The film works on many levels and for those who were missing the lycans from the previous film there is plenty of lycan carnage in this film. Rise of the Lycans is a welcomed continuation of the series and leaves certain things of the story open for another sequel.

The IMAX Experience - MONSTERS VS. ALIENS in 3D

2009-04-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to love a movie that as filled with so many over stuffed clichés as MONSTERS VS. ALIENS but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t at least a fun and entertaining film. It was a novel idea to do a animated monster film as it hasn’t been done since Monsters, Inc. so audiences aren’t tired of them just yet. With over five writers to its credit the film comes off as being too over written and formulaic as we follow Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) who is turned into a 49’ 11” tall women by a unknown meteor. She is then captured by the government and hidden away in a secret government facility run by General Monger (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland), whom has captured several monsters over the years and hidden them away from the public eye. These monsters include B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), an artificially created lifeform with no brain, Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), a former scientist who accidentally turned himself into a cockroach during an experiment, and The Missing Link (Will Arnett), who was thawed out of a piece of ice and has wrecked havoc ever since. If you don’t already see all the references to ‘50s B-movies yet then shame on you as the film is filled with ‘50s references as well as references to all manner of sci-fi and pop-culture films from Close Encounters of the Third Kind to Beverly Hills Cop to Godzilla and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.

Most of the references will be lost on younger audiences but people with a great appreciation of films will recognize most if not all of the references, which is the film’s biggest problem. It has so many references to other films that it never seems to have a mind of its own and everything from plot to character to story seems like something lifted from something else. Having seen the film on an IMAX screen in 3D I was able to forgive many of the films’ problems as I thoroughly enjoy watching films in digital 3D in the IMAX format. Somehow it makes many films better then they should be (i.e. when I saw The Day The Earth Stood Still on an IMAX screen). I’m sure that when and if I see the film again I won’t have the same experience.

Children will enjoy the film (especially those that loved Monsters, Inc.) but after the novelty of the 3D wears off and you’ve had enough of memory lane with the film references most older audiences may not enjoy the film as much as they wanted to. I will say that the antics of B.O.B. and The President (as voiced by Stephen Colbert) are some of the best in the film and recommended for this alone.

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (2009) Tries To Bring New Life To The Remake Genre!

2009-04-11T15:43:00.001-07:00

Having not been a big fan of the original Wes Craven film I had mixed expectations about this modern day remake The Last House On The Left (2009). The original film written and directed by Craven is a cult classic more because of the taboos it broke when originally released especially in terms of the rape and murder brought upon to the main characters. It is a film more remembered for its exploitation aspects and the fact that it is Craven’s first major motion picture then it is for actually being a good film.

The new film written by Adam Alleca and Carl Ellsworth and directed by Dennis Iliadis couldn’t rely on breaking cinematic taboos or violent carnage because its all been seen and done before (just take a look at what the French have been releasing over the last few years with Inside, High Tension, and Frontiers). The new film expands on the original story while also relying mostly on mood, suspense, and very good performances by the entire cast.

Craven, who produces the remake, has made it a career with polished horror films for the main stream audience from the Scream franchise to the more recent Red Eye and The Hills Have Eyes remake (and its sequel) and that same aesthetic is on display here. This film has none of the low budget trappings of Craven’s earlier films but is refined and has a few name actors with Monica Potter (of Along Came A Spider and television’s Boston Legal) and Tony Goldwyn (of Ghost, Kuffs, and for you horror film-fans Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives), to name a few.

I could go into detail about the plot of the film but when it comes to remakes the plot never really changes from the original and I don’t like to sound like a broken record but I will say that this film, as directed by Iliadis, is more suspenseful and exciting then the Craven original and actually makes for a better cinematic film. Unlike the Craven film (which isn’t really a film for everyone), this newer version is a film that most audiences can enjoy in the same guilty pleasure as Craven’s more recent Scream franchise or films like Saw, Hostel, or Halloween (2008).

The Rock RACES TO WITCH MOUNTAIN

2009-04-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

Disney is not above recycling there own films so its of now surprise that the novel “Escape to Witch Mountain” by Alexander Key is now the new pre-summer film Race To Witch Mountain starring everyone’s famous former wrestler Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock).

In the summer film tradition this new film has a lot of special FX and a lot of action and like the title suggests it “races” from one moment to the next at the pace of a Michael Bay film. Like last year’s Journey To The Center of the Earth in 3D, Race is a no-brains action kids film that easily forgotten after viewing. Kids will probably love it but anyone over the age of 13 will just wish they’d gone and saw something else.

The film concerns two aliens who crash to Earth in search of a secret experiment left on Earth that will help their own planet survive imminent danger. If they don’t get the experiment back to their planet in time then the people of their planet will invade Earth. Johnson plays Jack Bruno, the cab driver who drives them from place to place and inevitable gets himself caught up in trying to help the aliens get back home to their planet before the government gets a hold of them.

Although the special FX are really well done and there are some comic moments to be had between Johnson and Carla Gugino (from Watchmen), the film never seems fresh or new since most of what happens has been seen and done before in other Disney movies. As directed by Andy Fickman (with a screenplay by Matt Lopez and Mark Bomback), the film has very little to offer anyone with an extensive background in old Disney films. The only people that will enjoy this film are children who haven’t had the chance to watch all the classic Disney films yet (or fans of The Rock).

Film Review: THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT

2009-04-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

With so many ghost and haunted house films being released since The Ring (2002) was a huge hit it’s kind of easy to dismiss this “Based on Real Events” film based on the experience of a family going through the hardship of having a child with cancer who move into the perfect house that just so happens to be haunted.

If you’ve seen one American ghost story then this move will not seem like anything new…on the surface that is. This film follows all the trappings of the haunted house film – 1) a desperate family moves into a house that harbors a dark secret, 2) “shock moments” approximately every 10 minutes as if the audience really needs a “fake” shock moment to remind them of the type of movie they are watching, and 3) you think you know what’s behind the haunting until the big reveal at the end. As written by Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe the film doesn’t miss a beat at it follows the conventions of all American ghost/haunting films, which makes it had to believe that anything in the film actually “really” happened.

The thing that holds the film together and actually makes it worth watching is the on screen chemistry between Virginia Madsen and Kyle Gallner as Sara and Matt Campbell (mother and son, respectively). Matt is battling cancer while Sara is his mother who is trying to be strong and keep it together not only for her son but for her other two younger children and over-worked husband (played by Martin Donovan). With lesser capable actors the film would have been derivative but these two actors play the smaller and quieter moments extremely well and give their characters a humanity that is missing from most other films of this genre.

The film has its chilling moments especially when you learn the nature of the haunting but like most modern day horror films this film suffers from its reliance to end on a big action-packed moment (which also comes off as very unlikely and unreal) and therefore looses some of the intimacy that it had created earlier. This is a small element that can be over looked in an otherwise very entertaining, yet predictable, haunted house film.

"My North Star"

2009-03-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

Through the clear darkness
That consumes me
A faint glimmer gives me hope,
Of reassurance,
A desire,
That I am not alone
That no single star
Is ever truly alone
But they’re surrounded by their
Significant other
Their brethren
Together they could glisten
The sky with light

Imagine when I look into
Your eyes –
That glimmer like Rigel or
Orion’s Belt or
Saturn with it’s many rings;
A desire
Overcomes me and like
The stars in Heaven
You will shine!
Brighter than the North Star
Or all the stars of the Big Dipper

It may seem that we
are as far apart
as the Sun to Pluto –
it’s warm rays never
reaching Pluto’s cold surface.
Whereas in reality
we are as close
together as a
mother to her child;
two interlocking
warm bodies
forever en raptured

Distinguishing
Your shining star
from those other
faint glimmers
in the sky –
and I will
continue to
dream of the day
when I am up there
with You.

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: NEVERMORE - A Book of Adapted Stories by Edgar Allan Poe!

2009-03-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: NEVERMORE: A GRAPHIC ADAPTATION OF EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SHORT STORIES

This collected volume of illustrated Edgar Allan Poe short’s is a great addition to lover’s of the great writer’s works. Some of the stories featured in Nevermore: A Graphic Adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s Short Stories include The Raven, The Pit And The Pendulum, The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Black Cat, The Oval Portrait, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Masque of the Red Death. Each story is tackled by a different creative team and the only unifying agent is that they are all adapted from Poe’s work.

Some are more satisfying then others as The Raven (by Dan Whitehead & Stuart Tipples; art by Stuart Tipples) was easily one of my favorites, but The Oval Portrait (by David Berner; art by Natalie Sandells), which I had never read before in any form, and The Tell-Tale Heart (by Jeremy Slater; art by Alice Duke) were also very good additions.

The great thing about this collection is the fact that it brings to life some of Poe’s greatest works for a new generation to appreciate. Poe’s work has been adapted throughout the ages in many different forms from comics to movies to television and audio books but it never ceases to amaze me how many emerging artists still find his work so inspirational. I grew up reading Poe at an early age and his work has been a great influence on me (even if I haven’t read everything he wrote). Another great addition to this collection is the Edgar Allan Poe’s Biography segment at the end of the collection with art & script by Laura Howell, which gives a few key insights about the man to new readers. Also, the book gives historical context for each of the stories just prior to their presentations, which is great knowledge for the young readers who have only a passing knowledge of the man & his work.

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: CORALINE Adapted & Illustrated by P. Craig Russell

2009-03-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: CORALINE Adapted & Illustrated by P. Craig Russell

Neil Gaiman’s glorious novel Coraline has been adapted & illustrated by Harvey and Eisner Award winner P. Craig Russell who goes out of his way to present a faithful adaptation to the celebrated fantasy novel.

Now a major motion picture Coraline (whether you read the original novel or the graphic novel) follows the exploits of a young girl Coraline who moves into a new house where her self absorbed parents want nothing more then for their child to find something to do with her time then to pester them when they are trying to work. Coraline is an adventurous young girl whose life is turned upside down when a door that opens to a bricked in apartment next door suddenly opens up to a wondrous new world inhabited by people claiming to be her Other Mother and her Other Father. Coraline finds this new world strange but wonderful even if her Other Mother & Father do have buttons for eyes and cats can speak.

When Coraline wants to leave to be with her real parents she realizes that her Other Mother has other plans and kidnaps her parents forcing young Coraline to stay in the other world. Now Coraline must find a way to save her real parents and out smart her Other Mother before she has buttons sewed where her eyes are.

Coraline is a story filled with signature Gaiman motifs of fantasy and adventure like many of his stories in Smoke & Mirrors not to mention his novels Stardust and Neverwhere. Russell does a great job at bringing Gaiman’s world to life on the page. His character designs are realistic yet retain all the visual flair of Gaiman’s prose. Since this is not a very dark story (say like Gaiman’s Sandman series) Russell uses a lot of light colors to his palette and doesn’t crowd the paneling with unneeded details (a testament to his reserved style with compliments the work perfectly).

Coming in at just 186 pages Coraline is a fast yet enjoyable read that will leave you wanting more (or at least wanting to read it again) and is perfect for reading to younger children for that slightly scary yet fantastic bed time story.

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (FantaCo) #1-4 & Prequel

2009-03-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (FantaCo) #1-4 & Prequel

I rarely ever do reviews of individual comic books but this one warrant’s it since it has yet to be gathered into a graphic novel or trade paperback form. FantaCo’s official adaptation of the original 1968 film Night of the Living Dead is a testament to how a film adaption can go so right instead of so wrong (which is the norm). Having read many comic book adaptations of films (i.e. Batman, Willow, Darkman, Arachnophobia, Star Trek 6, and the list goes on and on) very few strive to be more then the film itself. This four issue prestige format series debuted in 1991 (even though I just recently got my hands on all the issues) from writers Tim Skulan & Eric Stanway, artist Carlos Kastro (with Eric Meheu), and letterer Mary Kelleher. Based on the original screenplay by George A. Romero & John Russo this comic book adaptation is a testament to great storytelling not only through words but through pictures and art.

Anyone who has seen the original film will know that there are many instances where very little dialogue is spoken as you watch the characters go through there personal revelations of a world plunged into the darkness of the undead. The film is everything from the film (most of the dialogue is lifted straight from the film) but the film also goes to a lot of the back story of the characters that is just hinted at in the film. When Ben tells Barbara his first encounter at the diner you see the events unfold in the comic and the Prequel issue shows you everything that happens to the Tom & Judy characters and the Coopers just before they arrive at the house.

Katro’s artwork is haunting at times and perfect for the unsettling imagery of the undead killing the living and the black & white artwork is a perfect compliment to the film. Some of the images are even more haunting on the page then in the film. I was reminiscing about the great artwork from the EC Comics era and how much Katro’s work mirrors that. And for those wanting to see a little color to their horror, the four covers to the issues are rendered in contrasting color tones (although the Prequel issue is still in black & white).

This is truly a great series to have in any collection, which is why it is a shame it hasn’t been collected as yet. FantaCo also produced only (non-related) issues in this series but it is Avatar that picked up the mantel by doing sequels to the landmark film (so be on the look out for those). Great film to comic book adaptations are rarely done right so it would be in your best interest to pick up this one.

THE UNINVITED (2009) is No Comparison to A TALE OF TWO SISTERS

2009-02-24T12:04:00.000-08:00

Being a huge fan of the original film A TALE OF TWO SISTERS I was opt to be a little skeptical by yet another remake of an Asian film with the potential to be an utter water downed dredge (i.e. ONE MISSED CALL, SHUTTER, THE EYE, etc.). More often then not American filmmakers just don’t get why the original films are so good which is why we get such horrible remakes. Either that or they tend to water down the plot in order to, heaven forbid, make it more “accessible” to American audiences. This is never a good idea as horror film audiences are not “dumb” (since we are the ones that watched and liked the original films subtitled) and get even more upset when filmmakers think that we are. This is why “good” American remakes of Asian films are few and far in between – only THE RING and THE GRUDGE come to mind (with the later being directed by the original film’s director).

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS is a brilliantly crafted ghost story (possibly) with rich characters all around and magnificent performances by the ensemble cast. The story is slow but that is deliberate as the film relies on mood and dread to keep the audience on edge. It’s a mystery and a suspense film rather then a typical horror film but when the horror comes, it comes in spades (most of it at the end). The American remake THE UNINVITED (2009) barely resembles the film it claims to be a remake of. Instead this new film is a watered-down THE SIXTH SENSE-pretender that wishes it was as clever as that film or as engaging as TWO SISTERS.

The biggest problem with the remake is not with the cast as the ensemble cast in this film is actually its only asset (praise goes to the three women of the film Elizabeth Banks, Arielle Kebbel, and Emily Browning, sorry David Strathairn), but with the production design which makes the family seem like they are wealthy beyond their means with a father (Strathairn) who is merely a writer whose book just came out. It seems to be the norm in American films to present families in “suspense” films with these overly wealthy homes or situations (i.e. WHEN A STRANGER CALLS, PROM NIGHT, THE GLASS HOUSE) thus defusing any sort of empathy with the characters (with the exception of WHEN A STRANGER CALLS in which the house actually made for a very good character in the cat ‘n mouse “suspense” thriller).

No matter how hard the cast tried to make the film work they couldn’t because of the predictability of the entire affair. In this post-SIXTH SENSE movie world in which the “twist” is now looked for (and sometimes even expected) by audiences THE UNINVITED was completely predictable (even though I knew the original my friend had guessed the film long before the end and he didn’t even know it was a remake). It also doesn’t help that even though the film looks “pretty” there is no style or substance to the film like Ji-woon Kim’s TWO SISTERS. The random “jump” scares are also tiresome which happen about every ten minutes when nothing of substance is on the screen.

THE UNINVITED (2009) is a better forgotten remake (like so many of late) that leaves a sour taste in your mouth but since its less then ninety minutes long (whereas the original was almost 2 hours) you won’t have long to suffer.

Remaking FRIDAY THE 13TH For A New Generation!

2009-02-24T12:01:00.000-08:00

I’m not a fan of the FRIDAY THE 13TH film series but there is no denying the impact it has had not only on the slasher genre but on the horror genre as a whole. It is one of the longest running horror franchises (unless you include GODZILLA in this group) and there has never been a doubt that there would be another film (even after the abysmal response to JASON X). If there is any franchise that needs a make-over it would be this one and when I heard about the remake I was actually intrigued by the concept as it was not going to be a remake of the original film (in which the killer Jason Voorhees only shows up in a dream sequence) but a loose origin film.

Hearing that director Marcus Nispel, who so excellently revived THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE franchise, was at the helm was a plus as I enjoyed both that film and his other film PATHFINDER, so, I knew the film was in good hands. And even though I hate just about every film Michael Bay has ever directed, his production studio Platinum Dunes has crafted some of the best remakes in the past few years. When I saw the first trailer of the remake I was hooked; I was definitely going to be in line to see this new Voorhees on the coveted day Friday the 13th (aka Feb. 13).

Boy was I let down.

Even though I had high expectations for the remake (which so very few films ever reach) I was not expecting this completely derivative hack ‘n slash film that resembled some of the worst FRIDAY plots from past films. A bunch of party and sex crazed kids go out to the woods for the ultimate party weekend and piss the “killer in the woods” off and then get killed one by one, all the while continuing to do the “stupid” thing rather then the smart thing. Is it my opinion or has the horror genre gotten worse over the years. In this new age of “smart” horror films (i.e. 28 DAYS LATER, THE SIXTH SENSE, THE MIST, THE DESCENT, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF), why is it still customary to have these throwbacks to bad ‘80s horror movies that don’t even try to be better then the films they are remaking?

This new FRIDAY starts off with a bang with the beheading of Pamela Voorhees (like the end of the original film) and then jumps to present day with a group of back backers looking for weed in Jason’s back yard. They stumble upon the dilapidated Camp Crystal Lake and soon fall victim to Jason’s blade. All of this is done with style and flair by Nispel and gets you hooked into the film (even though the prologue is a bit long). The running Jason actually is an improvement and as played by Derek Mears I say he is the best Jason so far, hands down. Then once the title “FRIDAY THE 13TH” graces the screen it all goes down hill from there. Clay Miller (Jared Padelecki) is in town searching for his sister (who disappeared during the opening of the film), again, when he crosses path with the group of party drinkers and sex seekers (that I mentioned before), none of which are at all remotely interesting.

Clay and the partier’s paths cross once they step into Jason’s playground, but there in lies the biggest problem with the film. The characters don’t actually have to enter Jason’s Camp Crystal Lake to be killed. The first two are killed on the lake (in one of the best kills seen in any of the franchise’s films); a lake, which is used by presumably hundreds of people all the time. I hate to say this but if Jason just killed random people on the lake all the time he sure wouldn’t have been able to keep himself secret for as long as he has. The next thing is that Camp Crystal Lake (or what’s left of it) is suppose to be on the other side of the lake from the house in which the main action takes place. If the two people killed on the lake had to take the car out to the dock to get to the boat (which has to be near the camp) then how in the heck can Jason get from his camp to the house and why would he even want to?

From the moment you learn that Jason did not kill Clay’s sister (but kept her as a prisoner in his domicile) the logic behind the film is thrown out the window and it’s hard to bother with the rest of it as each of the impending victims do the opposite of what they should do even when they are warned not to. The film is filled with everything that killed the slasher genre to begin with.

This isn’t all of Nispel’s fault as he brings the “scare” back to one of the horror icons biggest characters. Death scenes are extremely well done and the production design overall is better then all the other films combined. The cinematography is top notch for a horror film of this type but much of this will get over looked by the bad screenplay with all to often flat characters that you want Jason to kill.

FROST/NIXON Just Another Political Film

2009-02-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

Maybe its just me but after all the awards hoopla over this film FROST/NIXON I just wasn’t convinced. Maybe it’s because it was originally a play (by Peter Morgan who also wrote the screenplay) or maybe its just me but I wasn’t pulled in by the films story of journalist David Frost (Michael Sheen) who goes toe-to-toe with former President of the United States Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) to get to the truth behind the Watergate scandal through televised interviews.

Now, I’ll say that my not liking FROST/NIXON has nothing to do with the fact that it was based on a play as this year’s other great based-on-a-play film DOUBT was a great film. It just seems that FROST/NIXON is one of those films that should have stayed a play and is probably infinitely more powerful on the stage then on screen. Director Ron Howard goes a long way to try to put together a great film with a great cast that includes Kevin Bacon, Toby Jones, Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, and Matthew Macfadyen. And all of the performances are great. Sheen does another great job as he did in THE QUEEN and Langella (who originated the role on stage) is great as Nixon (some may even say better then Anthony Hopkins version in NIXON). Rockwell as James Reston, Jr. is by far the stand out (and wrongfully over looked by all the major awards) as he dominated every scene he is in.
This film is definitely an “actor’s” film as some of the best exchanges between actors are present here (which is a testament to Morgan’s great writing), but like I said before, the film never truly feels like a film. This is definitely a “play” I’d like to go see but as a film I could’ve waited for it to hit DVD.

Take a Shark Bite out of WATER BABY By Ross Campbell

2009-02-24T11:56:00.001-08:00

One of the reasons why I picked up Ross Campbell’s WATER BABY is because I enjoyed reading his zombie graphic novel THE ABANDONED. Even though THE ABANDONED was more my style I decided to take a chance on his female centered coming of age drama WATER BABY as it sounded (from reading the synopsis) as a unique and different kind of story.

Brody is a surf girl with everything going for her who has a chance encounter with a shark who bites off her leg. Unable to ever surf again Brody’s life is forever changed and even her best friend Louisa who has always been by her side can not help her. When her ex-boyfriend Jake weasels his way back into her life eating her out of house and home Brody finds herself at the breaking point. Not only does she have to learn to walk with a fake leg, deal with an ex-boyfriend, but she also finds herself plagued by nightmares where she finds herself (or parts of herself) as well as her friends shark food. When she finally can’t take it any more she drags Jake and Louisa on a cross country drive to drop Jake back off at his parents house, no questions asked. It will be a long journey for all but one that will help Brody get back what she lost when the shark took her leg.

The characters in Campbell’s story are far from perfect which allows them to be all the more human as they go through their day to day problems caused by such an extraordinary event. Campbell (who also illustrates) provides lush drawings especially in terms of Brody’s nightmares (which are mostly dialogue-less in an otherwise over-talkative story). This is a far more intimate story then the one he crafted for THE ABANDONED and like all great stories there is no clear cut ending, just the hint that this is just a new beginning in the life of the characters.

VAMPIRA: THE MOVIE - Remembering Maila Nurmi...

2009-01-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

Maila Nurmi passed away early last year (2008) so it’s only fitting that I look at the 2007 documentary VAMPIRA: THE MOVIE by director Kevin Sean Michaels. Nurmi was best known to the public as Vampira, a bedeviled femme fatale of 1950s television as a host for obscure sci-fi and horror films. Modeled after the immortal Charles Addams character Morticia Addams, Vampira was decked in black hair and black clad clothing that made her look like she had no waistline. Nurmi on the other hand was a petite blond model who only wanted to earn enough money to become a traveling preacher.

Vampira was born out of Nurmi’s need to earn money to make her dream of becoming a traveling preacher a reality but her creation would soon have a life of its own. When Vampire appeared in the ‘50s no one had seen or experienced anything like her and in Michaels’ documentary he traces the beginning of Nurmi’s life and career as a horror-host icon through Nurmi’s own words. Nurmi, a recluse who disappeared from the spotlight long ago, is very candid about her life as Vampira with the ups and the downs. Vampira was a pop phenomena during her first year on television (sadly almost all of the episodes from her show have been lost but there are clips contained within this documentary) who was sadly fired and blacklisted when her contract (or written agreement as she likes to call it) was not renewed.

Nurmi recounts her mixed feelings and experiences on the infamous Ed Wood, Jr. film PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, which is what most of her fans are most familiar with (me being one of them since I’ve never had the pleasure of being able to view the show). She is very candid about the making of this film leading to a very revealing look into the mind that was Ed Wood.

Michaels also adds in a lot of interview footage from people whom Nurmi has influenced over the years from Forrest J. Ackerman, Kevin Eastman (creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Julie Strain, Sid (HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES) Haig, Bill (THE DEVIL’S REJECTS) Moseley, writer David J. Skal , and Cassandra Peterson – aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the women that Nurmi tried to sue for infringement of copyright. The film is a unique look at a woman who had a profound effect on the horror-host identity to which many people of our current horror-hosts are indebted. Nothing can be more true then the opening of the film which has Count Smokula singing a song about Vampira. Now that’s a legacy if I ever saw one.

[REC] - A Horror Film Classic In The Making!

2009-01-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

No horror film has gotten under audiences’ skin recently more then the Spanish film [REC] which has been taking the film festival circuit apart (pun intended) for over the last year. American studios quickly jumped on the ship with the quickie remake QUARANTINE (itself a pretty damn good film), but [REC] has a raw and unforgiving atmosphere with unknown actors (at least to American shores) that bring the scares home unlike the remake which had a cast of young & up coming actors.

If you’ve seen the American remake QUARANTINE then you already know 95% of the story as the remake played it true to the original. {REC] finds reporter Angela Vidal (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman Pablo (Pablo Rosso) at a Barcelona firehouse covering the events that happen at a firehouse during the graveyard shift when all normal people are sleeping. In fact, the show that they are filming is called “While You Sleep.” Thinking that the night will be a bust since typically nothing really happens at a fire station at night, Angela and Pablo soon find themselves tagging along with the firemen during what should be a routine call in which an apartment complex has reported noises coming from one of the tenants’ homes.

When they arrive, police are already on the scene and are about to go in all the while Angela keeps films hoping to get something exciting for her show. Once they step into the apartment they encounter an old woman who appears to be senile and unresponsive but when she attacks one of the police officers the firemen are forced to defend themselves and all hell breaks loose. They try to get the wounded police officer out of the building but soon realize that they and all the other tenants of the building have been locked up in the building by order of the CDC and the police. It appears that they have been exposed to some type of infectious disease that spreads quickly turning people into, for lack of a better word “zombies” whose only goal is to kill. Now Angela and the uninfected tenants must band together in order to find a way out of the building before it is too late.

Filmed entirely from the POV of Pablo’s camera the film is relentless and fast paced from beginning to end and it puts you right into the action and danger of the film. Similar to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and more recently CLOVERFIELD and DIARY OF THE DEAD, [REC] is a testament that good horror films only need to put the audience in the same shoes as the characters in the film to be effective. Having seen QUARANTINE before this film you’d think that I would have already been prepared for what was going to happen, but [REC] is more effective and still more terrifying simply because I was unfamiliar with any of actors in the film. One of the highlights of last year (that now only has to get an official release here in the states).

MY BLOODY VALENTINE IN 3-D Makes it's Mark!

2009-01-20T18:53:00.000-08:00

Remakes are in the air and MY BLOODY VALENTINE in 3-D is the first one to step out of the gates for 2009. Although I’ve never had the chance of viewing the original, I came with an open mind when I went with a group of my friends to go see this film. The bonus of viewing this film is the fact that it is in digital 3-D (which I’ve seen everything from U2 3D to BEOWULF to HARRY POTTER & THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX in this new format) which many of my friends had never seen a film in.

Although the film’s plot is very derivative the added bonus of it being in 3-D was what made me enjoy the film more then I probably should have. The film concerns Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles) who returns to his mining time home after a ten year disappearing act. You see, ten years ago a miner went crazy and killed a bunch of town’s people and almost killed Tom. The incident left Tom scarred for life. When he returns home all he wants to do is sale off the mine where the incident happened (and which he owns over 50%) and get on with his life which might include his former sweetheart Sarah (Jaime King), who when after he left married Axel (Kerr Smith) who is now the town Sherriff. When bodies start popping up again on the ten anniversary of the Valentine’s Day massacre all blame points to Tom, but is Tom really responsible or has the killer from ten years back decided to finish what he started a long time ago?

MY BLOODY VALENTINE works not only because of the 3-D effects (although they do help) but because the film does not pull any punches in terms of scares and suspense and violence (which there is plenty of). It relies on audiences to actually be terrified of what’s on the screen in the same way that the SCREAM films tapped into that same basic instinct and reaction (which is why those films were so popular).

I’ve seen a lot of horror films so I may be a bit jaded but there is little presented in MY BLOODY VALENTINE that is actually new (many fans will recognize the FRIDAY THE 13TH and WRONG TURN references right away) but the addition of the digital 3-D goes a long way in allowing you to forget all of that in order to just sit back and enjoy the roller coaster ride. The end may get a little over-convoluted especially when the rest of the films plays it loose but there is nothing that will deter you from having a good time, so, just put on your 3-D glasses, hold on to your date (or allow them to hold onto you), and sit back and enjoy the ride because who knows when the next one will be.

Horror Films 2009: THE UNBORN (2009)

2009-01-20T18:51:00.001-08:00

2009 is starting off as a good year for the horror genre as the new psychology horror film THE UNBORN (2009) proves that you don’t have to be a remake (of an old American or recent Asian film) or sequel to be a good film. Written & directed by the prolific David S. Goyer (who contributed to both of the recent Batmen films including all three BLADE films and the classic DARK CITY) THE UNBORN tells the story of Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman of CLOVERFIELD) who believes that she is being haunted by her dead twin brother who was never born.

As her nightmares about the undead brother intensify Casey is forced to look deep into her past where is discovers that the entity that she believes is haunting her is really a Jewish dybbuk, a type of demon trapped between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Thought vanquished by Casey’s ancestor the dybbuk has been watching over Casey slowly regaining its strength so that it can return to the land of the living once and for all. Casey’s only help to rid herself of the dybbuk is Rabbi Sendak (Gary Oldman) who must perform an exorcism in hopes of saving Casey from what may happen next.

THE UNBORN works as a horror film because it presents many difference aspects of something that most audiences are unaware of. It’s an relentless horror film that’s not self-referential and takes the subject matter very seriously. There are many circumstances that are left unexplained which add to the allure and mystery of the film as well as adding another level of horror to what is going on with Casey. Goyer has made a career out of writing complex characters and engaging films and the same can be same of this film.

There will no doubt be references to THE EXORCIST (the grandfather of all religious exorcism films) but this is a good thing as THE UNBORN is easily better then any of that franchise’s inferior sequels. In fact, THE UNBORN presents one of the best exorcisms of any film since the original THE EXORCIST and will have you screaming in your seats before the end credits role. Yes, this is a great start for 2009 whether it be a horror film or any film for that matter.

Meryl Streep is Perfect in DOUBT (2008)

2009-01-20T18:49:00.000-08:00

Few films this year will leave audiences questioning their faith not only in their religious beliefs but in themselves like John Patrick Shanley’s DOUBT. Based on his own play (of which he also wrote the screenplay and directed) DOUBT tells the story of Sister Aloysius Beavier (Meryl Streep) who goes on a one-woman crusade to expose Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of sexual misconduct against the only African American student in their little parochial school. It is Sister James (Amy Adams), who after witnessing some questionable behavior of Father Flynn, starts Sister Beavier on her quest.

Things get more complicated when Sister James starts to side with Father Flynn believing that Sister Beavier is afraid of change and the progressive nature of Father Flynn’s methods. On the other hand Sister Beavier has had previous experience dealing with Father Flynn’s “kind” and will not let him get away with his atrocities. It becomes a cat & mouse game between Sister Beavier & Father Flynn over who is right and who is wrong and who will survive the fallout.

Shanley’s film works because you never know who is telling the truth and who to believe and all the characters are conflicted and have doubt about the events happening around them. Streep is perfect as Sister Beavier, a women so determined to be right that in any other actor’s hands might come off as 2-dimenional but in her hands is conflicted even when we want to believe that she is always right. The same can be said of Hoffman who in his arrogance believes that Sister Beavier’s beliefs are medieval and that he is helping the church move into a more progressive era no mater the consequences.
DOUBT is truly one of the can’t miss films of the year with great performances and a great cinematic story from start to finish. It’s also a film that whether you are religious or not the film is more about one’s moral conflicts & dilemmas then religious ones making it a universal film.

Novel Review: FOUL PLAY: THE ART & ARTISTS OF THE NOTORIOUS 1950s E.C. COMICS! By Grant Geissman

2009-01-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows their history in terms of the magazine and comic book industry will know about the infamous horror magazines of the 1950s era and E.C. comics who produced some of those titles which included TALES FROM THE CRYPT, THE HAUNT OF FEAR, CRIME SUSPENSE STORIES, and WEIRD TALES, to name a few. In FOUL PLAY: THE ART & ARTISTS OF THE NOTORIOUS 1950s E.C. COMICS! writer Grant Geissman examines the art and artists that help make E.C. Comics what it was.

Geissman does a wise thing by examining the history and eventual downfall of the company through the art & artists that came out of the companies short lived lifespan (although one of its publications still exist – MAD magazine). Each of the companies most prolific artists gets a chapter from Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, Johnny Craig, Graham Ingels, Wallace Wood, and Will Elder, to name a few. In addition to the background on each of the artists and their contributions to the company Geissman also includes a sample comic from each of them. There is even a never before published story at the end of the book to the delight of all fans everywhere. Geissman also includes several other goodies never before seen including company photos and a collection of E.C. Christmas Party Art.

This book is a great asset to any fan of the E.C. comics and it is a great introduction for those who just want to know more about the company and the events that led to its downfall. The book is thorough in its examination and leaves no stone unturned. There are also many quotes from the artists as they relay their experiences working with the company and their fellow artists. This is one of the best companion books for the company thus far released.

FILM REVIEW: FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER - THE WORKPRINT

2009-01-16T17:53:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has seen the original theatrical release of FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER knows that this film was meant the be the one that put the nail in the coffin on Jason Voorhees. Coming on the heels of the third part (which had its 3-D gimmick) this film was the one in which Jason dies. History know that you just can’t keep a good mass murderer down and after the unexpected success of this film the series had a new lease on life and the carnage continued (to this year’s remake).

If you’re lucky to get a copy of the WORKPRINT version of the film then you’re in for a treat (in regards to the die-hard Jason fans) because there are several scenes that were trimmed from the final release version. Although none of these scenes add any blood to the proceedings they do add to characterization especially in regards to the Tommy Jarvis (Corey Feldman) character. There are several added scare moments in regards to Tommy and his masks. One scene extends the scene in which Tommy & Trish (Kimberly Beck) are having car troubles before getting help from Rob (Erich Anderson) and the scene with Tommy and Rob in his bedroom are extended.

There are several other scenes like this that are extended but no scenes that were ultimately cut and then re-instated. It appears that nothing significant was missing from the film (although I always thought that the off-screen death of Tommy’s mother was left on the cutting room floor). Like my viewing of the CREEPSHOW: WORKPRINT, not much was left out that truly adds to the plot and/or story of the film but it’s interesting to finally see some of the scenes that were trimmed in their entirety (unless of course that death scene of Tommy’s mother truly was filmed and I’m still missing out).
I will say that I find it very interesting the differences between the release version of a film and its workprint or alternate cut. With the impending release of the FRIDAY THE 13TH remake, the first three films in the series will finally be released uncut so many fans will finally be able to see those films in their entirety. I just hope this version is not so far behind.

FILM REVIEW: FRIDAY THE 13TH: A NEW BEGINNING - VERSION 2

2009-01-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

Not being a fan of this film in particular I was curious when I heard about “Version 2” which claimed to have alternate scenes and takes and different music, so, I decided “what the hell” I’m game. As directed by Danny Steinmann FRIDAY THE 13TH: A NEW BEGINNING was a departure from the previous films in that the killer was not Jason Voorhees but a paramedic who wanted revenge for the death of his son. To many people this film was a lame attempt trying to find a way to revive what should have been a dead franchise, but it did just this (as the subsequent 5 sequels and upcoming remake will attest). Don’t be ashamed, I thought it was a lame movie as well, until now.

Upon viewing the film again (for the first time in many years mind you) I realized that the film had a good template as a starting off point; it was just the “green” cast that made the film seem worse then it was. There are many parallels to the original film mainly in that like the original the killer is never seen but only hinted at whenever s/he kills someone. This was meant to hide the identity of the killer. The first film had the huge reveal of it being Pamela Voorhees who is the killer whereas this film has the killer being the paramedic. Both killers are motivated by the death of their child at the hand s of a caregiver; in the first film the caregiver was the camp councilors whereas in this film is was the so-called half-way house for disturbed teenagers. Both films also feature the death of random teenagers/characters (although in this film the killer seems to mover all over the place to various locations).

Although both films are filled with relatively fresh actors (so that you don’t know who will be killed next), the first film had an excuse as it was done on an extremely low budget whereas this film should have had a higher caliber cast given the much bigger budget. What this film does have is a huge body count even though the deaths are somewhat less imaginative then in some of the previous sequels. Another asset to this film is the continued reliance of the character of Tommy Jarvis (from the previous film) who is still haunted by the image and presence of the Jason Voorhees after having killed him in the previous film.

All in all the film had the marks of being an interesting sequel that would take the franchise in a new direction but producers of the subsequent films had a change of heart and resurrected Jason in the next installment.
Getting back to the “Version 2” aspects of the film, I hate to say this but I saw no significant differences between this version and the original release version. Some takes and scenes may be alternates but they’re so miniscule that you’ll never even notice and even if there were music cues that are different much of the score is similar so there couldn’t have been that much of a change (unlike say the original theatrical version of HALLOWEEN: H20 versions the PRODUCER’S CUT which restores the original music cues of composer John Ottman). Unless you truly are a devout fan of this film the “Version 2” has nothing new to offer even though the film as a whole was an interesting rewatch.

Graphic Novel Review: MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS

2009-01-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW: MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS

The Marvel Universe has jumped on the band wagon in terms of how much our culture and times have made the zombie genre of horror a pop phenomena from the plethora of films (i.e. SHAUN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBIE DIARIES, 28 DAYS LATER, etc.) to animation (i.e. DEAD SPACE and RESIDENT EVIL: DEGENERATION) and now to comics (i.e. THE WALKING DEAD, WAKE THE DEAD, THE EVIL DEAD, and countless others, but it is Marvel’s alternate universe that has been over run by a zombie plague that has captured readers from all kinds.

I’ve never caught any of the Marvel Zombies series in their initial run waiting instead for the collected graphic novel. The first Marvel Zombies series was the first thing I’d read from Marvel comics in over twelve years (I hadn’t given up on the medium only become more immersed in Manga and what publishers IDW and Dark Horse where releasing) and boy did I pick the right time to come back. That first series made me an instant fan and I read the subsequent graphic novels MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES both of which made me want to know more about how this whole phenomena started. MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS is the collection of all the appearances of the Marvel Zombies leading up to the first MARVEL ZOMBIES stories including the prequel MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS (from which the collection gets it name).

In addition to the prequel DEAD DAYS this massive graphic novel collects the first story about the Marvel Zombies “Crossover” from ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #21-23, the continuation of the story ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #30-32 called “Frightful,” and the last part of this early trilogy “Good Eatin’” from BLACK PANTHER #28-30. That’s 10 big issues of Marvel Zombie goodness in one collected graphic novel. Old school Marvel readers (such as myself) may not care for the Ultimate line of Marvel titles seeing as though they are a retelling of the Marvel Universe for the newer generation. Although this was my very first experience with the Ultimate titles I wasn’t too put back as even though the Fantastic Four are a much different team now then when I was growing up the “characters” were true to whole they’ve always been which is a great testament to writer Mark Miller who wrote both “Crossover” and “Frightful.” In my opinion the story “Good Eatin’” felt like a third part in a trilogy which is big action but little story but since this story was in BLACK PANTHER this is to be expected. This can also be said of the prequel story “Dead Days,” which also works in parts but not as a whole which I presume is because writer Robert Kirkman only had the one issue to tell the story instead of several issues.

The artwork from all four stories is top notch (from pencilers Sean Phillips, Greg Land, Mitch Breitweiser, and Francis Portela) and the original covers are provided in the back of the book for those curious fans (such as myself) who wanted to know what painter Arthur Suydam concocted next. The graphic novel as a whole is a great addition to any collector’s bookshelf with stories that you will reread time and time again (I know I will).