Indie Film with Kick - BAGHEAD (2008)

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

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

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

Retrospect: The Dead Pit (1989)

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

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

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

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

Anticipating SAW V

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Graphic Novel Review: SPIKE: SHADOW PUPPETS

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

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

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

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

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

Graphic Novel Review: ANGEL: OLD FRIENDS

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

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

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

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

Graphic Novel Review: 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: BEYOND BARROW

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

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

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

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

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

Graphic Novel Review: HEROES Volume 1

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

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

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

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