PUNISHER: WAR ZONE is Bloody Good Fun!

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

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

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

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

Paul Rudd & Sean William Scott are ROLE MODELS

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

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

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

Zombies Rule! In the new indie film AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION

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

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

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

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

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

The Pang Bros. Return with the dismal THE EYE 3

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

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

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

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

Film Review: HOUSE (2008)

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

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

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

Teen-Horror & THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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